Barbed Wire and Red Ribbons
by realfakedoors
Summary: A comprehensive retelling of Star vs. the Forces of Evil, in the Bad Boy x Princess AU. Alternatively titled, "Star is trying her best and Marco just swears a lot."
1. (EP 1) Your Seat

**Episode 1: Star Comes to Earth**

* * *

"Diaz, get _up_."

Marco jolted awake when someone shook his desk. He had fallen asleep during study hall, the one time of day he could try to rest without running the risk of getting detention or being sent to the office again. Skullzy didn't care what anyone did during this period (though it was designed with homework and studying in mind), so sleep was a self-evident freedom here.

The threat of detention, or even suspension, did not bother him the slightest… but his irregular attendance and even less regular sleeping patterns had made the past few days especially hard. His parents had just come down on him for what happened two weeks ago with lots of tears and yelling, and he was now at risk of truancy. Marco decided it was best to try to minimize his misbehavior right now for his parent's sake, at least until things lightened up around school.

It's not like he ever really needed to go searching for trouble anyways. Trouble always seemed to find him.

He shot a sideways glance at Janna, whose foot rattled his desk a second time. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he looked around to see no one else had gotten up from their desks, so he inferred class was not over… meaning Janna had disturbed him intentionally.

"What?" Marco hissed at her, the venom clear in his tone. The sleep he was sacrificing for this better have been worth it.

She simply rolled her eyes and whispered back. "Don't give me that attitude. You got called to the principal's office. Twice. Skeeves announced it and you snoozed through each one. I thought you didn't want to get suspended again?"

Marco did not even bother to stifle the groan that escaped his lips automatically. A few heads turned in the mostly quiet classroom, but no one paid him much attention.

"See you in detention?" She asked as he threw his hood up from under his black leather jacket.

He shrugged, already moving towards the door. "Probably. Don't even know what I did this time."

With a quick snap as the door shut behind him, Marco rubbed the corners of his eyelids with his thumb and forefinger, exposed beneath his fingerless gloves.

Cursing silently to himself, he tried to imagine what he was being blamed for this time.

 _Probably Oskar again. Another shitty tag job with my name on it, I'm guessing. Who the fuck would sign their_ _ **own**_ _name when tagging something?_ Skeeves hadn't bought that a month ago when the same thing had taken place, though he had been speaking true. Marco's locker _did_ contain a few incriminating canisters of spray paint, but they hadn't been used for that work in the school parking lot. At the very least, when Marco vandalized something, he had the common sense **not** to sign his fucking name.

He tried to explain to Skeeves and his parents, but no one bothered to take his word for anything anymore. Again, Marco couldn't say he blamed them - he did have fair share of marks against him. Unlike Oskar, however, he at least had the fucking spine to accept responsibility. Breaking rules was only satisfying if you didn't get caught, but if you did, that's part of the game. A reputation like his inevitably comes with that: consequences and a reality check. It ups the ante, raises the stakes, and it makes the next time when you pull it off without a hitch _that_ much more satisfying.

Damaging school property just to get him into trouble? Not only was that stupid and obvious in his opinion, but it served no purpose.

Paying no heed to the call of his name by one of the hall monitors, Marco strolled past lockers and classrooms with his hands in his pockets. One of them rubbed circles into the case of his cell phone, the other fingered the tab of his lighter. His cigarettes were in his backpack, so carrying his lighter around felt sort of stupid, but he liked to be able to offer a light if people asked for one.

Upon reaching the office, Marco leaned his elbows against the front desk rested his chin into his knuckles.

A mousy but kind older woman with brown hair, grays peeking through, looked up at him through her glasses.

"Hello, Marco."

"What am I in for this time, Mrs. M?" His eyes trailed over the various things strewn about the desk - a pencil cup holder with nothing but scissors in it, a dusty old Dell monitor, some flyers for the local Kiwanis club, and perhaps most interesting of all, the sign-in sheet. Normally, this piece of 8x11 white printer paper would be as unimpressive as everything else in the office; today, there was dazzling purple ink scrawled across three lines of the form, written in letters so artistic he might have thought it calligraphy.

He had to squint at the words to make sure he read them correctly.

 _Moon Butterfly - 12:35 PM_

 _River Butterfly - 12:35 PM_

 _Star Butterfly - 12:35 PM_

With a quick glance at Mrs. M's screen, Marco could see it was only ten minutes after the "Butterfly" folk arrived. He smirked to himself, thinking "folk" to be especially appropriate with names like those. They were the kind of things he expected from Ferguson or Alfonso in their D&D campaign. Maybe it was some of the bohemian crowd from Oakland or Arcata moving to town, Marco guessed.

"Oh, you're not in trouble. Wait… you don't…? I, um, thought your parents would have mentioned it."

Now his interest was thoroughly piqued. Marco set his jaw and stood up a bit straighter.

His parents? Did he need to get pulled out of class? Immediately, his thoughts went to his _abuela,_ in fine health but getting up there in her years.

A little urgently, Marco leaned over the desk. "Is everything okay? I didn't hear anything from my parents. What's going on?"

She smiled at him, trying to ease his nerves. "Um, don't worry Mr. Diaz. It's nothing like that. Just… why don't you go back to class? I need to talk to Principal Skeeves about this - he might not want to meet today after all. You don't have to worry about anything, okay?"

Marco pressed his lips together but ultimately threw his hood up and buried his hands in his pockets.

"Mmm… 'bye." He went out the door and pulled out his phone, texting frantically.

He opened his Messenger App and found his Mom's contact.

 _Hey, just got pulled into the principal's office. They said it had something to do with you guys? I didn't do anything this time. I mean it._ (12:49 PM)

Marco stared at the screen, brows drawn together in concentration the whole way back to study hall. His next actual lesson, Psychology, began at 1:10, so he hoped his parents would text back before so he might be able to focus. It was his favorite of all his subjects, but he would never admit it to anyone - his parents must have known something was awry when he actually did his homework for that class. He couldn't help it - the whole discipline was genuinely fascinating to him.

The still silence of Skullzy's classroom should have been a tell-tale sign that something was wrong, but Marco was looking at his empty chat with his mom, hoping to see that amazing "..." bubble that would say she was typing back.

Instead, he deadpanned a few inches away from his desk, shocked to find it occupied.

It was a girl he had never seen before, of that he was certain.. He would have remembered someone like this.

She had soft features, curving from jaw to ear to nose with unspoken grace. Delicate pink hearts were stuck to each of her cheeks like a temporary (or was it real?) tattoo. Atop a head of molten gold, a headband with two small, red bows dangled down and added to her overall surreal appearance.

Then there was the most striking feature of all - those _eyes_. Wider than the sea and bluer than the skies, Marco was a little frightened to realize that something - _someone_ \- so intense was actually looking back at him, her pupils flickering up and down over his frozen form as he gaped at her. A canopy of confused valleys appeared along her brow as he continued to stare stupidly.

"That's my seat," Marco blurted out, unsure of what else to say.

The entire room was watching them, which normally might have made Marco a little nervous, but he had all but forgotten he was even in school. This strange person in his seat had his complete attention.

The girl folded her hands in front of her across the wooden face of the desk and looked around awkwardly.

"Oh," she mumbled. "Um… sorry?" She seemed about as unsure as he was.

Blinking a few times, Marco tried to remind himself this wasn't a Western stand-off. This was a classroom, filled with people who he would have to see everyday, and this girl was not going to ruin the good thing he had going. She was clearly lost and needed to understand her place, and it appeared he would have to be the one to put things into perspective… all the while, trying very unsuccessfully to ignore the rising pressure in his chest, taking shapes like shadows under candlelight. The silhouette of something was there, and growing, but he couldn't let himself get distracted.

Besides, he's Marco _fucking_ Diaz, for Christ's sake. He can't let some pretty mop of blonde hair turn him into a push over.

Quickly tucking his phone into the pocket of his jacket, he slammed both hands across the desk from her. She flinched back at the sudden movement.

 _Good._

"You new or something?" He said with a smirk, his tone filled with just the right amount of condescension. It suggested he didn't care if she answered yes or no, but that he was more interested in what the hell she thought she was doing.

The shifting of the girl's eyes stopped suddenly, no longer preoccupied with the onlookers in the classroom. She was staring back at him, and Marco saw a tiny flash of anger appear somewhere in those baby blue's. A storm at sea, a hurricane, they were like a call to danger. A _challenge_.

And Marco loved a good challenge.

She looked ready to say something, cheeks flushed with anger, so Marco provoked her further. "Well?"

Then, as quickly as the tension had appeared, it evaporated. She dropped her gaze back to the desk and drew an arm across her chest, no longer willing to meet his eyes.

"I'm… I'll move." The words were like ice, and now it was Marco's turn to flinch. He hadn't expected the shift, and it felt like the ground suddenly became unsteady, like he had missed a step going down the stairs.

Before he could regain his footing, he made another mistake. This one was unforgiving; a fatality, a mark against his ledger made in red ink. He let his guard down, and looked, and _saw_ her.

This wasn't just noticing or acknowledging - this time, he looked into her face and saw things beyond what was physically there. Marco studied the tiredness that lined her eyes, and the shine of rosy color in her heart marks, and the pull of gravity against her pomp red bows as she bowed her head away from him.

The shaking of his own hands caught his attention, the cold outer face of his lighter rubbing uncomfortably against his gloves. Within, his hands were hot and clammy, and that was to say nothing of the heat he felt in his face.

Her lips parted to let escape the smallest, most sincere words he had ever heard.

"I'm sorry."

There were the outlines in his chest again, rising and falling like an angry tide, suddenly very real and ragged with his breathing. He didn't even know this girl's name, or where she came from, or why she was here, or _how she could look so pretty and_ …

"Are… you okay?" She asked, noticing Marco's expression turn from shocked to annoyed as he flickered between reality and his pounding heart.

 _Fuck._

Even the way she talked sounded like a sweet melody, causing his breath to catch in his throat.

 _Fuck fuck fuck fuck._

"W-whatever," Marco stammered out, throwing his hood up. He seemed to recall that he was _not_ alone and he _was_ in a room full of his peers - Janna, for instance, was noticeably wide-eyed behind the blonde girl and mouthing at him. " _C'mon, c'mon."_

"You can sit there today."

As quickly as he could without making more of a scene, Marco all but threw himself into the only other open desk - the one right beside her, and tried to angle himself away.

He could feel her eyes on him, though, piercing him like a switchblade. His resolve to never look at her again was broken rather quickly once he heard the slightest snicker to his left, and with a quick glance, he saw she was smiling.

"Thanks," the girl said.

Marco rolled his eyes and looked away again, feeling his face warm up. For some reason, he smiled, too.

"Whatever."


	2. Cutting Class

Star studied the map Principal Skeeves had given her like her life depended on it. She didn't see anywhere on it desks or markings of where she was supposed to go once she was _inside_ a classroom - all it had was room numbers and names of her new class schedule.

It had taken a lot of self-control not to burst into a rage or tears or a tear-filled-rage when that boy confronted her, but she had to remind herself this wasn't Mewni.

This was Earth, and things were different here.

 _It'll be a good experience for you, Pumpkin_.

That's what her Dad said before shuffling her down the hallway towards her first class as her parents finished their conversation with the principal. Apparently, the son of the host family was going to join them for a meeting privately and they would discuss some ground rules.

So far, it hadn't been a "good experience," and it hadn't even been a full hour.

The angry boy was sitting next to her still, apparently in the same class as she was. Psychology, the slip she had been given read.

 _What does that even mean?_

She tried to focus on the lesson as the teacher, a fifty-something ogrish woman, picked up the lecture from a previous class, but Star was definitely lost. Her parents hadn't prepared her adequately for this, and her lessons on Mewni never required writing utensils or paper for notetaking. They were always more "hands-on," like practicing self-defense with the Royal Guard or magic with Glossaryck or etiquette from her mother.

So she was resigned to sit there dully and stare at the front of the room, trying not to let her glance linger over the other kids around her too intensely. Occasionally, she would shoot a glance at the boy beside her, still a bit guilty to have taken his seat.

She would have been furious if someone took her seat back home, so it seemed fair to expect the same here.

"Hey," a voice called behind her, so quiet she almost thought it wasn't real. A tiny glance over her shoulder told her that it very much was real, as a girl with dark hair and bright eyes shot her a smile. A note passed its way across the length of the girl's desk, and Star looked at it blanky for a moment.

The girl had to gesture with her hands to take it before Star realized it was a note intended for her, privately, like the messengers would give her parents if it something happened during a royal meeting.

Star eyed the note, feeling the scandal course in her veins as she snatched it and unfolded it in her lap.

 _Sorry he was a jerk. -_

 _That's Marco. He's always like that, so don't take it personally._

 _What's your story?_

 _Janna_

Star re-read it a few times, a little desperate for a pen now. The note was written with good intentions, even if it was breaking the rules, and she felt a million things she wanted to scribe back to this "Janna."

 _Why is he always like that? What do you mean 'my story'? You don't have to be sorry. What is 'psychology'? I like your hat. Do you know what time it is? Why is this place called Echo Creek?_

A moment later, Star felt a light poke in the back that took her by such surprise she squeaked. Everyone turned to look at her, including the boy she now knew to be Marco, and the room was a variant display of bemusement and confusion.

With a surprisingly husky voice, Ms. Skullnick addressed the room. "Shush. Janna, don't bother her."

Star couldn't see it, but Janna rolled her eyes dramatically and poked her a second time once the teacher turned back to the board.

Turning again, she realized why Janna had been prodding her - she was offering her a pen.

 _Oh thank Mewni._

Star pretended to stretch her arms around, deftly grabbing the pen left in the top right corner of Janna's desk and slipping it into her lap with the note. Turned to the blank side, Star bit her lip and wondered what would be the most important thing to say on such a tiny piece of paper when her head was fit to burst with a million questions.

She tapped her chin with the end of the pen and all but scribbled her query in her rush to know more of her new home and to (hopefully) secure her friendship with this Janna.

Rereading her handiwork, Star decided it seemed a little too dull, and used a tiny bit of extra space at the bottom to draw a smiling spider.

 _Hi. Different dimension. Guess I'm an "exchange student?" Can you help me get through rest of the day? - Star_

Star slipped the note back onto Janna's desk and hoarded the pen, unwilling to give up this token of her first Earth friend, not even caring of she got a response.

At the same time, Star noticed Marco to her right shifting slightly and pulling something out of his pocket. She didn't want to stare, so it was hard to tell what it was, but after a brief pause he inhaled so loudly she and several others turned towards him.

He shot up from his temporary desk, garnering the attention of anyone else who hadn't already begun to eye him worriedly.

"What now, Diaz?" Ms. Skullnick spat in his direction, eyes narrowed in suspicion. She looked at the windows to make sure he wasn't going to try to jump from her class again.

"I, um, er. I need to go to… Principal Skeeves… uh," he paused, shaking his head and resuming a much more composed demeanour. Star watched him turn, surprised when he directed his attention to her, seated in his desk. He had one brow raised high across his forehead.

"I need to talk to you."

"Oh, okay." Star said, starting to stand up when Ms. Skullnick interrupted again.

"No, _no!_ Diaz, you and Ms. Ordinia are not going to corrupt a new student on her first day. Take your _seat_."

Star looked between the two nervously, twisting her fingers together out of habit. She oscillated between gnawing on her wand and contorting her hands together when she was nervous, depending on if the wand was available to her.

Marco scoffed at the teacher and turned to Star, leaned close to her and whispered low.

" _C'mon_."

Star felt a shiver run up her spine at the unexpected proximity, and without thinking, she let her hand be grabbed by the angry boy and led from the classroom at a full sprint.

They didn't stop running for a full minute, and Star was certain she could hear the teacher screaming at them from the classroom, but the sudden rebellious impulse had been too great for her to consider reason - for instance, why did she trust this total stranger to take her somewhere? To probably get her in trouble, like the teacher said, on her first day?

Marco tugged on her hand to drag her around corners and down corridors in a totally foreign world, and she wordlessly complied with each twist and turn until they eventually came to a halt. Judging by the location, they were in some sort of courtyard that opened up to bright blue skies, made all the more brilliant against this dimensions' decorative sky-poufs of white cotton.

Star felt her inhales burn a little as her lungs insisted upon oxygen, and she let out a breathless giggle.

"Wow - what was that?" She flattened the hem of her dress that had gone awry in the chase, a confused smile falling upon the boy.

He was also breathing a little heavily but didn't bother to fix himself. Star wrinkled her nose a little, wishing he would; his hair was a mess and his clothes were pressed in odd places.

Her smile quickly faded when Marco looked directly at her. Not a hint of kindness in his tone, he huffed a few words in her direction. "Who _are_ you?"

"I-" Star began, taking a step back defensively. She felt that same flash of anger in her throat as earlier when he snapped at her, calling her out like a fool in front of her new peers, but she couldn't lose her temper. She needed to maintain her composure, lest her parents would find _different_ living arrangements.

 _St. Olga's…_ Her eye twitched out of reflex.

A small, calming breath later, Star tried again.

"My name is Star Butterfly. I am a magical princess from another dimension."

She tried to give him her sweetest smile, hoping not to make an enemy so soon, and that seemed like the wrong thing to do. Marco spun on his heel and turned away from her, anger flashing across his face.

"I-I'm, did I do something? You're, uh, _Marco_ , right?" Star reached a hand out to his shoulder, and that seemed to be the boy's breaking point.

He stiffened abruptly and spun around, face-to-face with her - inches away, in fact. Star leaned backwards reflexively, blushing furiously to be in such close proximity to a boy.

"So _you're_ … Heh, great. _Just_ great." His eyes were narrowed, still very close to her, studying her features for what felt like hours. Star held her breath, frozen in his stare, resisting the urge to question what that strange, intoxicating smell was coming off his lips.

Instead, she held her chin in place and waited for him to right himself. He would figure it out eventually - right?

Before her worries multiplied, Marco let out a tiny sigh and took a proper step away. Star felt her shoulders slump, and a curious shaking around her knees to no longer be bound in place by this weird, rude, mysterious boy.

"Yeah. You heard right. I'm Marco. Marco Diaz, and, apparently, my family is going to be hosting you for the year."

Star's eye went wide at the introduction, her thoughts clicking into place like a train that had gone off the tracks, suddenly thrown back into her latent velocity.

With a breath, she released a tiny " _oh_ ," but said nothing else. No wonder he had been acting to strange towards her - she was going to have to live with _him_?

Why couldn't it be someone like Janna? She at least seemed nice, Star thought ruefully.

Thinking of Janna reminded her of the girl's note, and Star reflexively closed her palm in search of the scrap of paper, only to remember the note was not there.

 _Right - I passed it back to her_. _What did it say again? 'Don't take it personally. He's always like that_.'

Star pursed her lips momentarily as the boy pulled out a small rectangle from his pocket with a cute looking dinosaur on the back, wearing a triangular hat.

 _Maybe he's got a soft-side after all_?

"M-Marco?" Star called his attention carefully, but he didn't react. Instead, he continued to press his thumbs into the rectangle and eventually put it back into his pocket. She observed him close his eyes and take a deep breath before finally looking up at her, eyes filled with some mixture of spite and arrogance.

 _Ugh_.

Star tried to make her voice as friendly as possible. "I'm… sorry, if we got off on the wrong foot with your desk. If we're going to live together, maybe we can start over. I'd like it if we could be friends." She extended her hand, a gesture her mother told her was ubiquitous across Mewni and Earth.

Marco arched an eyebrow at her, face otherwise blank for a moment. After his quizzical pause, he eventually rolled his eyes and laughed at Star's hand.

"Yeah, handshakes? Not my thing. But fine. We'll start fresh, _Princess_." His voice was teasing, no longer void of mirth, so Star dropped her hand and let the tiny insult go.

"Fine. And it's _Star_ , please, _not_ Princess. I mean, I _am_ a Princess, but I don't need you to call me that."

Digging his hands into his jacket, Marco eyed her curiously before shrugging. He began to walk in a different direction than they came from, and he called over his shoulder.

"Eh, I'll think about it."

That took her by surprise - on Mewni, no one dared defy what she said. And if they did, they certainly would _never_ do so to her face. Who did this _Marco_ think he was?

… but, then again, no one ever could get away with teasing her like that back home. If she teased back, someone could lose their job or position for inciting the "wrath" of the Princess of Mewni (which was really the wrath of the _Queen_ of Mewni, her mother, for disrespecting the crown. Star sort of enjoyed the lightheartedness of it all). She found him annoyingly interesting, fearless in the face of royalty.

When he paused to turn back when she did not follow, Star touched her heart marks out of instinct. They tingled slightly, but not from flush; it was a different sort of feeling, like pin pricks that teased her cheeks. Oddly, Star was reminded of one of the times she tried to speak to a diplomat from another Kingdom without a translator - they were trying to talk to her, to communicate something, and she could get a _gist_ of feelings, but it was impossible to tell exactly what they tried to convey to her.

Like that conversation, she could communicate through tone. It was like music - no one _spoke_ music, but you just _knew_ what it was trying to portray just by the way it made you feel.

And how did she feel now? The music of her heart marks was fire, burning whispers of danger and caution - but the feeling wasn't rooted in fear, exactly. It was temptation. Wrong, but right.

The moment did not last longer than a second, but Star felt compelled to move one leg, then another, then again, after him. To follow him. It wasn't the proper thing to _do_ , but it _felt_ right.

There was a look in his eye take spoke of mischief and secrets, and Star decided she wanted to be privy to whatever mysteries this boy had to share.


	3. Playing with Fire

Marco couldn't help but smirk at Star when she fell in beside him, a little surprised she agreed to cut class. Granted, it was her first day, so maybe the faculty would grant her some slack.

Not him, though. But that was fine. Right now, there were much more pressing issues to Marco than his already ruined attendance policy. What difference would one day make?

"So, _Star_ ," he emphasized, choosing for now to abide by her request to address her by her given-name. It was partially to test her patience, which Marco deemed to be adequate; she smirked and notched an eyebrow in his direction, obviously picking up on the sarcasm, but did not comment.

"Did they give you a map or anything when you got here? I figure that's how you got to Skullzy's class?"

Star reached for her bag, a small cloud shaped shoulder-strap that would be terribly easy to pick-pocket, and dug around for a moment.

"Yeah, it's… um. Ahh, nooo…" she let the bag fall back to her hip, hanging her head slightly.

Marco forbid himself to notice how cute it was when she pouted.

He nodded, not needing further explanation. "Lost it already, huh?"

"How did you know?" Star half-smiled, but her voice was clearly annoyed.

Marco turned down the next corridor on their left, his own locker in sight. "This place is pretty big. It's easy to get turned around, though, it's probably nothing compared to a castle," he replied absently, stopping to undo his lock.

Star watched him twist the dial with focus, which gave Marco pause.

"Trying to memorize my com'?" He asked, joking.

"Your what?" Star responded, standing ramrod straight again.

Marco sniggered and continued to rotate the lock. "My combination. It's how we keep our stuff secured on Earth. You probably have a locker of your own somewhere around here."

He shoved some of his books and loose papers aside, reaching for his backpack and digging out his cigarettes from the front pouch. After storing them in his jacket, he shrugged the backpack over one shoulder and shut his locker again.

Star had remained silent, observing him go through the motions, trying to memorize his movements rather than his 'com.' She wanted to know how she should be expected to act once there were other students in the hallway, though her instincts also told her Marco might not be the best role model.

"I guess I probably do have a 'locker'. It was, uh, on my map… I think I left it on my desk. _Your_ desk, sorry."

Marco shot her a sideways glance but said nothing, guiding them off school grounds through the front entrance.

Walking and talking with her was much easier, much more natural than he would have guessed from their first interaction. He had been totally overcome with the surprise of her appearance that he lost his cool. Yes, that was it - it was _just_ surprise. She was cute, sure, but so were plenty of girls Marco knew. Jackie, for sure - even Janna, sort of. Star was just cute like them, and the surprise of meeting her had made him fumble a bit. That was all.

Once his mom finally texted him back during Psychology, the proverbial light bulb went off and he realized his mother was _not_ joking in her response.

 _Oh, honey, we wanted to surprise you tonight! We've got a new exchange student who will be staying with us - she's your age, and get *this*... ¡ella es una princesa!_ (1:26 PM)

"So what are you the Princess _of_ , anyways?" Marco asked abruptly, turning away from the school and beginning to light a cigarette. Star was watching the motion with abundant curiosity, he could tell, but he wasn't going to elaborate unless she asked. He didn't really like talking about himself.

"Huh? O-oh. Mewni. I'm the Princess of Mewni. It's another dimension… it's, sort of like this one in some ways," she replied, shaking her head and smiling at the blue sky. "But our sky isn't as pretty. We have three moons that are always out, even during the day. I like your one big star, and the sky-poufs."

Marco started to laugh so suddenly he coughed, inhaling some of the smoke a little too forcefully into his lungs which caused him to start coughing even harder. Beside him, Star looked downright alarmed, watching the gray smoke trail off his tiny wand and escape through his lips.

"Oh my - a-are you okay? Are you trying to breathe fire, Marco? I didn't know humans could…"

"Not… fire… just… a sec," Marco laughed between his coughs, struggling through a few words and wiping away a tear.

"Okay, sorry," he said, ashing the end of his cigarette over the sidewalk away from her. She continued to watch the motions like a hawk, and Marco could tell her curiosity was going to bite any moment.

"So… no, we can't breathe fire. I'm not like, a dragon."

"Oooh, we have those! See, I told you - Earth and Mewni, different dimensions, but sort of similar." Star nodded excitedly, half-skipping in her steps as they turned onto a street. The Diaz residence was in sight about fifty yard away, so Marco slowed his pace to finish his cigarette before they got home. He already cut today after promising not to anymore, he didn't want to make things worse by being caught smoking again.

Star met his pace, still bobbing in her steps. "You didn't answer my question."

"What question, _Princess_?" He asked, giving her another sideways glance.

"Hey - I said! Oh," Star began to become indignant, but she could see the satisfied smirk cross his face. He was trying to goad her, and she fell for it.

Returning the smile with a toothier version of her own, she punched his arm. He didn't seem to mind.

"Okay, I have two questions actually. The first one, was 'are you okay?' I asked when you started to cough, but I do want to know, what _is_ that thing? It… sort of smells. No offense." She pointed at his cigarette almost greedily, her interest in the strange fire budding with each passage of smoke through his lungs.

"Mmm…" Marco thought about blowing her off, but he stopped and finished his cigarette before stomping it into the ground.

"That was a cigarette. A smoke. Some 'humans' put tobacco in the paper and light it on fire, and when we do, it helps calm our nerves. Helps us feel better, I guess." He pulled out the pack in his pocket and showed it to her while he explained, and she read the packaging with squinted eyes.

"As for why I was laughing…"

"Wait," Star said, snatching the pack from his hands.

"H-hey! Not cool, give those back," he said, reaching forward, but Star turned and continued to examine the tiny rectangle in her palms.

Star popped the top of the package after a moment of struggling and pulled out one, eyes focused on the tobacco end.

"Huh…" she said, looking at the incense stick curiously.

Star closed the top and put the cigarette between her pointed and middle finger, mimicking Marco's action from earlier. "We have healing herbs on Mewni like this, too. And I'm… well," she stopped, blushing a little and turning away from his curious gaze.

"I'm a little nervous to meet your parents. They're going to be like, my parents for the next year. Maybe I could have one for my nerv - _hey!_ "

Marco had reached around her and grabbed the cigarette, snapped it in half, and threw it at some nearby cacti. One piece of it got stuck against the prickly surface, while the other spilled tobacco around the acrid dirt.

"No."

Star blinked several times, looking between the broken stick and Marco, perturbed by his flash of anger. Before she could ask, he grabbed the package back and stuffed them in his pocket.

"You asked what cigarettes are. I didn't say you should use them. They're…" he paused, turning away for a moment. It was slightly embarrassing to talk about this, but this girl was clearly just ignorant.

"Cigarettes aren't some 'magic healing herb' or whatever. They're bad for you. They can kill you."

Star looked aghast, and then she lurched forward automatically and tried to take the package directly from his pocket.

"P-personal space, Star!" Marco grabbed her hands and twisted them upwards, above their head so she couldn't untangle herself and try to grab them.

"No, Marco! Why would you 'use a cigarette' if it can kill you? That's… that's dumb!" She half-shouted at him, but stopped struggling. A pause was exchanged between them as they both noticed the compromising position Marco's hold had put them in, with both their arms raised, their bodies had been naturally pulled forward, and again their faces were only inches apart.

 _Not this again,_ Marco thought to himself, trying not to look at her lips, or the curvature of her neck as it led down to her collarbones.

Flushed, he released her hands and took a wide step back. "I know it's stupid. That's kind of why I do it, _Princess_. You wouldn't get it." He all but spat the words at her feet, obviously flustered and annoyed.

Star felt her temper flare in response, and this time, she didn't stay it like her mother would have wanted. "W-well, _try me then_! If I don't get it, _fine_. But I want to get it. I'm not stupid, and it sort of feels like you think I am."

Marco winced at her unexpected (though justified) yelling, but his own anger and guilt rose and tumbled out in an embarrassing mix of words. "Sure - _fine_. I started years ago when I was _dumb_ , Star. And they're _addictive_. Do you know what that means? _Addictive_? Do Earth and Mewni have that in common _too?_ I just can't 'stop' now, and it's something to calm my nerves, and you haven't exactly been _helping_ my nerves today. So I wanted to smoke a cigarette. I don't care if it kills me. Might as well rip this bandaid off right now, Princess: I don't _care_. I don't _care_ about anything. So if you want to have one, _suit yourfuckingself_."

He threw the pack on the ground and stormed towards the house, leaving Star alone on the street outside.

Blinking wildly, Star felt hot tears appear at the corners of her eyes, not moving from her spot in the street until Marco had completely disappeared into the house. She huffed loudly and wiped the back of her hand across her cheeks, disappointed in herself for letting herself get angry, and snatched the package off the ground.

She read the tiny label further now that Marco was not leering over her, all-knowing and being a jerk.

 ** _SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING_** _: Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, and May Complicate Pregnancy._

Star wrinkled her nose, but put the package in her purse. She would have to ask Glossaryck if he knew any of the strange words - she understood what 'complicate pregnancy' meant, and could deduce what 'heart' and 'disease' meant together, but the others were foreign to her. Whatever the case, if the warning was coming from a military general, then it must be serious.


	4. Star Goes Missing

Marco threw his bag into the closet upon entering his bedroom, annoyed beyond belief with this girl's holier-than-thou attitude. He was certain this was going to be a total fluke - there's no way she was going to be able to stay here longer than the weekend. Already, he could hardly stand her.

Cracking his knuckles, Marco sat down at his desk and flipped open his PC, randomly opening the internet and browsing without really thinking. He quickly scrolled through anything of interest on Breaddit and BookFace, not really paying the task much mind. Marco's mind was racing with that girl's stupid actions - how could she think smoking a cigarette was a good idea so… so... _naturally_? She was going to be royally screwed if things kept at this rate.

For some reason, a particular phrase lingered in his buzzing brain, catching like a bad lag in one of his video games.

 _I'm not stupid, and it sort of feels like you think I am!_

 _You're a real asshole, Diaz. Way to go._

He really hadn't meant to make her feel stupid - it's not her fault that she was thrown into a new dimension, no friends, no guidance. Literally, a map and her purse, and that seemed to be it. She had already lost her map, and her purse seemed like an easy target for anyone with half a mind. If word got out she was a princess, she would have boys and thieves crawling all over her, trying to take advantage.

That made Marco bite his tongue in disgust, the thought of someone like Oskar slinking up beside her or some cheap thief at the mall snatching her purse. She wouldn't even know to look out for the type, but indeed, was Marco much better? He was just as bad as the rest of them, if not worse in some regards. If she had been anybody else, he probably would have done the same thing, but this girl was supposed to be his new houseguest.

Impressionable, that's what she was. She wasn't stupid. She was just innocent to a fault.

He could hear the front door opening from the ground level, which was predictable, as she must have seen him enter this house of all of the ones along the street. About ten minutes had passed since he snapped at her, and Marco released a groan. He let his face fall forward across the laptop.

 _I should probably apologize…_

Getting up, Marco peaked in the mirror above his dresser, fixed his hair, and took a deep breath.

 _Get ahold of yourself. She's clueless and she's your problem now._

With the exhale, Marco shook his head and turned around, burying his hands in his pocket and opened the door.

"Marco?"

He froze, half foot into the upstairs hallway as his parents ascended the stairs.

"M-mom? What're you doing home so early?"

She looked at him with contempt and glanced at her husband.

"We could ask you the same thing, _mijo_. You said no more cutting class." His father crossed his arms at the landing and they both looked at him expectantly.

"I thought you… er, nevermind. I came home early with the new g - with _Star_. We were excused so I could help her settle in." Marco lied easily, closing his door behind him.

"Oh," his mother replied, face softening a few degrees. "When you didn't text back earlier, I got worried. So you met her? Did you show her to her room?"

They started to ascend the stairs together, holding hands and looking excitedly in the direction of the guest room. Marco's eyes went wide and he practically jumped across the hallway, standing in front of the door. He tried to look casual, but did not move from the frame.

"Y-yep. Yep! Just showed her. She wants a bit of time to settle in. I said I'd leave her alone - maybe we can give her some space? I didn't tell her to expect you guys for another few hours."

"Aw, Marco." His father pulled him into a hug, which Marco had to accept to get them to go away. "I'm proud of you _mijo_. Acting like a nice young man for the new exchange student. She must be cute!"

" _Dad_." Marco groaned, pushing away from the embrace. His mom kissed his cheek and smiled fondly at him.

"Just let us know when she's ready to say hello. We're going to start dinner early, okay?"

"Sure, Mom." Marco took a tiny step away, back against the door so his face was free from his mom's grip. Lying directly to her wasn't easy, especially when she sounded so happy with his behavior.

 _False behavior_ , his consciousness corrected.

 _Fuck off,_ he told himself.

Once they went down the hall ("Maybe she'll be a good influence on him!" His mother chimed excitedly) and crossed the threshold into their own room, Marco carefully opened the creaky guest room door and deftly closed it behind him.

" _Fuck_ ," Marco whispered to himself, breathing like he had just sprinted a mile. He needed to find Star.

* * *

Flipping through the contacts in her compact mirror, Star's finger hovered over a name in her phone.

 _Tom_.

She really, _really_ didn't want to talk to her crush right now, but she wasn't sure who else to call. The embarrassment of spilling all of this to him would make her seem a fool, and she had done that enough on her own today.

Her parents couldn't know how bad of a time she was having already or they would send her to the alternative - St. O's - and she knew Pony Head was no good. Her bestie's phone had just gotten confiscated for the umpteenth time, and she had received express permission _not_ to call until Pony gave her the "all-clear." Otherwise, her parents would check their messages, and they didn't want that.

From a nearby tree, a laugh and the cutting sound of a portal went by unbeknownst to her, menacing and mysterious in its form.

" _No._ " Star snapped her mirror closed and shoved it back into her purse, instead taking out her wand and looking at the golden crystal embedded within. Though disjointed by the star shape, Star could see her reflection in the magical gem's surface, and her face looked particularly severe.

"You're a _Butterfly_ , for corn's sake. You can handle a dimension like Earth. They don't even have dragons here - how bad can it be?"

Grip tightening, Star closed her purse and walked through the streets with the wand close to her side. She didn't expect danger, but she preferred to be precautious. In her other hand, she gripped the crumpled carton of cigarettes Marco had left her with.

 _Help yourfuckingself._

 _Fine,_ her mind answered. _I don't need his help anyways. I'll find that Janna girl or someone else._

Her face felt warm at the memory, the way his voice lashed her, hardly provoked. She wasn't stupid - she was the Princess of Mewni, and she could take care of herself.

After another ten minutes of mindless walking, Star heard a voice call to her. "Heads up - on your left!"

It was a female voice, but Star couldn't tell where it came from.

She yelled back, rooted in place on the sidewalk. " _What's on my left_?" Star turned automatically, and to her left was nothing but an empty carriage path, void of any carriages.

"No-no, I, LOOK _OUT I'M BEHIND YOU!"_

Flinching at the sudden volume, Star didn't have time to react to the horrible sounding _woosh_ that came a moment later. A girl flew past her and rolled into the dirt, knees scraping along the ground as a small green rectangle flew down the sidewalk away from them.

"Oh, oh my, oh no, are you alright?" Star ran into the dirt and stopped beside the girl as she hissed, grabbing her knees painfully.

"Aaaahhhhhh, shhh…. _Aaahh, I'm good, phew_ … I'm… good." The girl was blonde and had a green streak through her bouncing waves, cropped short to frame her face. Star tried to reach for her but flinched back repeatedly, wanting to help but unsure if she would hurt her.

"I am so, so _so sorry_." Star said after another few moments of the girl brushing the dust off her long socks and slightly dirtied shirt.

"No, it was my fault. Skateboarding on the sidewalk is actually illegal…" the girl laughed, but coughed a bit painfully. Star bit her lip and held a hand to her cheekmarks, unsure what to do.

"Can I help? Are you hurt?"

The girl laughed a little louder this time and stood up, bracing against Star's extended arm. The princess was taken by surprise at the contact, but she had offered to help after all. "Thanks. I'm good, though. That's why we wear helmets."

She stood properly on her own and knocked her head, causing a hollow _thump thump_ to sound from her odd purple hat.

Repeating the motion against her own head, Star looked more than a little confused. "Helmets…?"

"Oh," the girl paused for a second, letting her attention catch up to her. "Wait a minute. You're the new girl at school, aren't you? From Ms. Skullnick's class?"

Star's eyes went wide in surprise and nodded.

"That makes so much more sense now. Hah! Let's start over. I'm Jackie. Jackie Lynn Thomas."

The girl extended a hand to Star, at which she smiled and accepted. At least this person seemed to understand the greeting, unlike Marco who had totally blown her off earlier.

"I'm Star Butterfly, and yes, I'm new. I guess I'm supposed to be staying with Marco Diaz."

Jackie withdrew her hand and Star could have sworn she saw a flicker of something across the girl's face, but she didn't know what to make of it. A moment later, the blonde girl snorted and began to laugh in a flattering way that made her freckles seem to dance.

"I guess that explains a lot - he ditched you, I'm guessing? No wonder you're walking out here alone."

Star forced a small smile and gripped her arm with one hand, no longer happy to meet the new acquaintance's eyes. "N-no, actually. I suppose you could say I 'ditched' him. I wanted to explore town on my own. We parted ways outside of his house."

"Huh," the girl replied, a bemused arch raising one of her brows.

Jackie looked herself over to check for scratches and blood, and once she determined there was no such damage, she gave Star a friendly wave and began to go after her forgotten skateboard.

"Well anyways, I gotta get going. I'm heading to the doctor's and I'm running a little late. It was nice meeting you, see ya, Star Butterfly!"

Excitedly, Star waved back with unlady-like enthusiasm. It felt like she really made a friend. Surely, her mother would feel her unbecoming elation was justified.

"Bye, Jackie!"

With a firm smile set across her face, Star started off down the road in the same direction as her new friend, curious to continue her independent journey.


	5. Crosstown Panic

Hours passed, and still, Marco hadn't any idea where to find Star.

His phone buzzed twice already, one phone call and another text from his parents, and the pressure had begun to grow exponentially. Dinner was going to be ready any moment now, and he had neither found her nor responded to either of his parent's messages. It was only a matter of time before the lies caught up to him.

First, he returned to the spot where he had yelled at her outside his house. Not only was his pack of cigarettes gone, but she was nowhere to be seen. He kicked a cactus in frustration and pricked his toe, and after another few minutes of impressive swearing, he stormed back to the school.

Without her map, Marco assumed Star would return to one of the few places she knew: school. That had been a fruitless venture, and probably one of the few times Marco has willingly explored the school grounds with no intention of breaking any rules.

After narrowly avoiding running into Ms. Skullnick in the hallway, he managed to skirt detection and set back out into Echo Creek blindly. That had amounted to one of the fastest moving afternoons of his life - thankfully, he had at least enough foresight to get his bike on the way back towards the heart of town.

From the dojo to the mall, to the park and the residential neighborhoods, he couldn't find the girl anywhere. He even stopped at the Ordinia's house once school was out to see if Janna had seen her, but no such luck. Marco barely managed to get out of that detour with his keys and wallet, but he did, and with mounting frustration he threw his hood up and stalked down the street, practically spewing venom as he went.

Above, the world had begun to turn dark, twilight having properly taken its place along the dreamy stretch of western skyline. Marco walked his bike at this point rather than riding it, really unsure of where he would go next. Until now, he had tried to avoid going downtown to search for her, certain that if she was there he would never be able to catch up with her anyways - too many buildings, restaurants, shops and alleys to search by himself.

"Ugh, fuck me..." he whispered, coming to a dead halt in the middle of the sidewalk.

 _Wasn't that the point of this? Go somewhere where people might try to jump her, steal her stuff, take advantage? Marco, you fucking idiot._

Immediately, the teen hopped one leg over his bike and set a course for heart of Echo Creek, fuming the whole way.

Whispering his frustrations as he tore across the asphalt, Marco grit his teeth. "This shouldn't be this complicated. She's got a poofy dress and bright blonde hair, for Christ's sake… Where _is_ she?"

Marco pedaled past shop windows and convenience stores, boutiques and businesses at every corner, peeking through the windows before moving on. He just needed to find that flash of yellow hair…

At the door of a local candy maker, Marco skidded to a stop, practically flying over the handles when the words fluttered across his ears.

"... be a Princess! I want to be one for Halloween! Can I, Mom? Please?"

Turning, Marco spotted a young boy, maybe four or five years old. He was giggling and holding a hand of a woman in her thirties, His mother, Marco presumed, listening intently.

"... Um, sure sweetie. Halloween isn't for a few months, though… not sure why that...dressed..." He didn't hear the rest, the shop doors swinging shut behind the mom, but Marco didn't really need to know what else was said.

The kid had pointed towards a side street, immediately on Marco's right, so he sped around the corner and twisted his attention every-which-way in search of her. Something, blue or blonde, or her sweet melodic voice, or those forgiving eyes, or that intoxicating perfume…

"...a 'refill', I guess?"

In a flash, an infinitesimal fraction in time, there became a stillness across the whole universe. He felt like the Earth had gone black, and the sun was bright yellow, standing with sad eyes and drooping shoulders maybe twenty feet away. Everything ceased, and reformed as an echo of relief rather than frantic fear - Marco felt lighter, his stomach tight but starting to unknot as time began to speed up again.

She was there. Right there. Really, _there._

(She was unhappy, by the looks of it, but unhurt.)

"STAR? IS THAT YOU?" He all but threw his bike on the ground, eyes blinking furiously under the neon sign of the Stop-n-Slurp. It hadn't caught up with him until she turned, looked right at him, but the realization left him breathless. He hadn't been worried for his own sake, or about his parents disappointment, or for getting in trouble with the school. He was just worried about her, for her.

The way her eyes lit up when they locked eyes almost made him dizzy. "M-Marco?"

"Star! You're okay!" He really didn't care at the moment if there were peers around, or if she was mad at him, or that his phone had started to buzz again. Marco didn't care about any of that, and out of sheer relief he wrapped her into a tight hug.

"...M...M-Marco? What's… going on?"

After a brief moment of catharsis, he pulled back with a deep inhale, vaguely aware that he probably looked and smelled like hell - sweaty, out of breath, and tired as he was. She smiled at him, though, and it was so simple and sweet he couldn't help but start laughing.

Maybe a little hysterical, but what did it matter? "You're _okay_. You have… no idea how worried I was!"

She cocked her head to one side, not finding the situation nearly as amusing. Still, her smile broadened by a few degrees. "You were worried? I thought you… after what I said, I mean… I'm sorry. I feel bad about what happened earlier."

He stopped laughing abruptly, but not because of her words; he heard her of course, but he heard something else.

 _Was that…?_

"Star, wait." He stiffened and held up a hand to silence her. She made an audible "meep" and covered her mouth with her hands, clearly alarmed by his sudden change in demeanor.

"I think something's wrong. Did you hear that... ? It was, er… it sounded like..." Marco hesitated to finish the sentence, the word 'scream' lingering on the edge of his tongue. He didn't want to scare her.

As it happened, they both were startled a moment later, a wicked laugh interrupting their reunion. " _Star Butterfly!_ At last, I've found you!"

Turning on his heel, Marco spotted the source, and really wasn't sure what to make of the sight. He honestly had to pause and wonder if Janna had slipped him a narcotic, but no… she wouldn't… right?

A small bird-man - really, more of a small man with some avian features - stood at the gas pumps outside of the store, flanked by the most outrageous sight Marco had ever seen. A gaggle of beings, ranging from tall and muscular to small and disturbing, greens and browns and grays of all shades stood before them, taking shape in a confusing amalgamation of… what _were_ they?

At his back, a small whisper seemed to respond to his query. " _Monsters_."

After a western-standoff style silence, Marco saw Star shake her mane out of his periphery, face turned severe. "Ludo! How did you know I was here?"

 _Ludo? Star knows these… guys?_

A smug smile played across the same one who spoke, followed by a confident retort. "Wouldn't you like to know!" His voice was like broken glass, sharp and shrill and unpleasant.

A foot began tapping just inches from his own, Marco noted, but he remained quiet.

"Yes… that's why I asked."

That seemed to miff the little guy, and he pursed his lips while formulating his story. "Well, Buff Frog - hey, I don't have to tell you anything! Get her!"

Marco had about three hundred questions that came to mind during this very, _very_ strange moment, but ultimately decided "get her!" was just cause enough to table them for now. Adopting his old Tang Soo Do stance, he automatically stepped in front of Star, arms raised.

A large red monster came forward first - about the size of Marco's father, if he had to guess - that sort of looked like an exotic dog… if, that is, dog's had bulging muscles and three eyes.

Reflexively, Marco aimed a fist towards the pressure point, about three inches above the bellybutton. "Hiiya!"

Another fist, quickly into the jaw, and the red gangly thing staggered backwards.

Balance upset, Marco jumped and landed a kick into the base of the thing's skull, flattening it into the cement.

Everyone pause for a long moment, before Star eventually breathed a few words. "...You can fight?!"

Marco half-laughed by how easily impressed they all seemed. He paused, flattened his hands and snapped his wrist down on a strange bear-like beast in the back of the neck as it barreled towards them.

The bird-man-thing jumped at one of its nearby allies and shook him "You told me she was unguarded!"

Star's response to the whole exchange came in the way of a toothy smile, and before Marco could do little more than return the gesture, she sped past him with surprising confidence. Stunned for a moment, he watched as she effortlessly moved to the next foe ahead, a blue-antlered creature with a hardened set of abs showing beneath a wifebeater. It was one of the stranger things he's ever seen, for sure, but the moment was fleeting; Star had taken out a short stick from her innocent cloud-shaped purse and whacked the guy right in the stomach. His crude gavel-turned-warhammer flew up above their heads, and Star leaned back easily on the balls of her heel and watched the mallet careen down onto his head.

Marco stuttered out a few words. " _Y-you_ can fight!?"

"It's called…" He watched, slack jawed as she easily leveled the thing that had tried to hurt her. " _Magic_."

A growl to his side snapped his attention back to an incoming group of monsters to her right, and before he could truly process how crazy this whole moment was, he threw himself into the fight, roundhouse-kick ready.

* * *

As natural as breathing, Star leapt aside the giraffe monster as it tried to take a swipe at her. Vaguely, she noted Marco somewhere to her right, taking an impressive amount of brunt from the battle.

She used this opportunity to better her leverage, a lesson her mother had taught her in her years of training.

 _Level the playing field_ , she thought wryly, looking around. Another of those strange metal carriages caught her eye just in front of the shop, so she leapt backwards and stood on the top. From there, she propelled her weight forward and grabbed the monster by its weakest point - the neck.

" _Rainbow fist punch!_ " She turned the face of her wand against its greasy skin, releasing just as the energy seeped out from her wand. A rush of magic coursed through her veins, causing a tiny flutter against her heart-marked cheeks.

 _A direct hit_ , she nodded in approval at her own strategic use of the spell. The monster had gone headfirst into the side of the carriage, and she saw Marco comically open the door on the other side.

 _Excellent for close-quarters combat, dear._ She could still hear her mother's voice, bouncing around the walls of the training cells in the castle.

With a leap towards the center of the battle, Star smiled broadly when she saw a flash of red and black appear behind her, grinning broadly. A reflexive arm moved to smack one of Ludo's monsters in the face as it approached, and a moment later she watched Marco land a decisive punch right between the necks of the red twin-headed monster.

He was taking shallow breaths, clearly a little strained by the activity, but you wouldn't know it by the smug smirk plastered across his face. The excitement and adrenaline had dispelled a little of the cloud that stuck to him when Star had first met him, and there was something weirdly… endearing about him like this. Confident, protective, out of breath…

 _Focus, Star!_

She shook her head and looked forward, eyes resting on Ludo. He stood more-or-less defenseless as he sent his brigade out on their wide scale attack, so she launched a standard blast of magic towards his small frame.

 _Wound, don't kill._ That's what Mom would tell her.

 _...Unless you have to_ … That's what her Dad would tell her.

The spell didn't come to that, though, as one of Ludo's most loyal followers jumped in the way of the blast just in time to ward off danger from their leader. Buff Frog, Star was pretty sure he was called, took the blast directly to the chest and flew backwards into a pole, only to jump back up a moment later and rip the metal turret straight from the earth.

"Resourceful," she muttered under her breath, trying to think quickly.

 _Monsters use brute force, just gotta think… Can't just hurl spells at him…_

"Star, look out!" Marco called from the side, jumping towards the approaching combatant with a low kick, enough to knock his legs out from under him.

"C'mon, Princess, you gotta focus. You're like, magic, right?"

Star chewed on the inside of her gums, watching the fallen monster start to rise a second time, and she could tell Marco had a point. He could throw impressive punches for a human, but the group began to close in around them. She needed to act, something large, but not violent… careful, but, not too careful.

"Okay, I've got it. Marco, get behind me!"

A rush of crimson flashed in the corner of her eye, and Star channeled her energy towards the tips of her fingers. She knew her mother didn't approve of this spell, but it was the perfect balance of offensive and defensive, large and distracting but not deadly.

" _Mega Narwhal Blast!_ "

A gust catching through her long hair, she felt her ribbons dance along the crisp night sky as they were blown back off her head. In front of the pair, a shuddering pile of monsters laid beneath the viscus underbellies of her most beloved sea-mammals.

"Ah…" She sighed longingly, lowering her wand and quickly securing it into the bag around her shoulder.

Ludo began yelling and kicking the corners of his oversized garb as he walked the length of the convenience store lot, but Star wasn't paying him any mind. A gloved hand rested on her shoulder, squeezing firmly but not painfully. It was that same sort of excited confidence that adorned Marco's smile earlier, and the unexpected proximity caused a blush to creep up her neck.

"Star! You were amazing!" He said, pulling her into a hug. She could feel his hoodie sticking to his sweaty torso, the embrace a little stickier than she was used to, but she accepted and squeezed him in return.

"You too, Marco! That was wild, really… really, wild." She laughed breathlessly, a bit shocked now that the adrenaline had begun to wear away. Had she really just _fought_ a group of monsters? With a _human_?

Her mother would be furious, but… "Wow. We really did that, didn't we?"

The question was rhetorical, and she turned away from Marco to watch Ludo and the last of the monsters disappear into a green and murky portal, grumbling about "you haven't seen the last of me" or something to that effect. Ludo didn't frighten her like he once might have.

To her side, Marco shifted and pulled out that rectangle with the dinosaur again, turning away. She watched quietly, curious, letting the troubling waves of accomplishment wash over her.


	6. Better

"I know, Mom… I'm sorry, we're coming home right now. Lost track of time, you know… Yes, we're fine…" Marco was talking in a hushed whisper, trying to cover the mouthpiece so Star might not hear anything.

"You didn't take her anywhere dangerous? Oh _mijo_ , please tell me you didn't try to kiss her… or worse, you're both teens… I didn't think this through," said the voice on the other end, mostly-joking with a twinge of legitimate fear.

Marco felt his face turn crimson, and he was glad he had chosen to face away from Star. _"No!_ What the heck, Mom?! That's… ugh, just, see you soon."

He slipped the device back into his pocket irritably, took a moment to rub his eyes to dispel some stress, and let out a low exhale before turning back to the girl.

Clearing his throat, Marco spun around. "Okay, sorry about… _that?_ "

He stopped, confused the miserable look on Star's face. Looking down, she had extended an arm between them, and in her grasp was his crumpled carton of cigarettes.

"Oh," he replied almost inaudibly. As a reflexive gesture, he held out his hand and Star dropped the package into his palm, leaving a trail of electricity in the few seconds that their fingers brushed against each other.

Surprisingly serious, Star hung her head even lower. "I shouldn't have judged you earlier. I really am sorry."

Marco felt his face grow warm, and he reached up to rub the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Uh… don't mention it…" He stated awkwardly. Why does she have to be so formal about everything?

Star bit her lip, refusing to meet his eyes. "But…"

With a quick smirk, Marco grabbed the folded hands in front of her and twirled her, earning a surprised squeak from the blonde. He had learned to dance from his mother, and Marco couldn't deny that being brought up by artists had its perks.

Dipping her to complete the effect, Marco leaned close to her and whispered a cheeky reply.

"I said, _don't_ mention it, Princess. Got it?"

Star blinked repeatedly, stunned silent, so Marco laughed easily and pulled them both up to a proper standing position. He let her hands fall, and the moment she was released a wide smile spread on her lips.

"Fine. I won't mention it, but only if _you_ don't mention this," she paused, gesturing around the now empty lot. "To your parents. They'd tell mine, and that would be..."

Marco didn't let her finish. "Oh, no, this stays between you and me. And, here," Marco turned and retrieved her forgotten ribbons, blown off from the gale of her Mega Narwhal Blast. With clumsy hands, he tucked the band into her bangs and pulled the loose ends of the bows over her head, allowing them to cascade down her back.

Marco didn't notice the rosy color that graced her cheeks at his touch, but Star was more than a little surprised by his willingness to be so physically close to her. It was still jarring, as no one on Mewni would dare come within three feet of her at all times, and Marco's hands were surprisingly gentle.

He smiled easily at his handiwork. "There. Better?"

There was a pause while he studied her expression, mostly blank but for a distinctive softness in her eyes that made him gulp on his throat.

 _Don't even think about it, Diaz_. _Housemate. Off. Limits._

Star returned the smile, twice as wide than the smug one he wore across from her.

"Better."


	7. (EP 2) Lunch Break, Smoke Break

**Episode Two: Problematic Pony**

Star wrinkled her nose at the proverbial plate of slop she was served for lunch, overcome with a bout of homesickness. The closest thing she could imagine to this on Mewni was corned cream, but even that smelled delicious. She wasn't entirely sure that this grey goop was even edible.

Her first day on Earth had been a Friday, and she was relieved to learn there would not be lessons for a few more days.

The week's end (or was it just weekend?) had been surprisingly pleasant, largely in part due to Marco's parents. Mr. and Mrs. Diaz were unbelievably kind, hospitable and gracious hosts. They seemed to swoon with joy whenever Star talked about Mewni and the ways of royalty, but she learned to avoid the topic after a few days unless directly asked about it. Marco made a face whenever the subject came up, and she found herself on the receiving end of more than a few hard glares across the living room or at the kitchen table.

Other than the occasional cheeky remark, the pair had quickly warmed up to each other. The Princess had a desire for perfection, which was an impossible goal in the Earth dimension anyways, but it was only made more difficult by Marco's presence. She was glad for his friendship, of course, but there was something inexplicable about him that was just… off? Different? She couldn't explain it, and that frustrated her. Star was proud of her literacy and, raised-to-rule, she was proficient in speechcraft, but something about Marco eluded her capacity to weave metaphors or cast a fair and impartial eye.

He was… the product of his actions, and those were more foreign to her than the newness of his dimension. He was rough around the edges, tired of her by default, prone to cursing and wary of manners. Somehow, he was dangerous _and_ flirtatious, and Star wasn't sure she could ever get used to that.

Still, Star could detect the occasion spark of sincerity in his smile or the copper corners of his eyes, and beneath it, Marco was human like everyone else here. The flirty winks or lingering smile were certainly a part of the persona, seemingly crafted _just_ to get on her nerves, and that actually made him easier to tolerate. He was trying to be friendly in his own strange way, and she could at least appreciate that.

Star laughed lightly to herself, now invested in the memories of the weekend and neglecting her lunch entirely.

After they returned home and Star met the Diazes proper, Marco had brought her to her new room which was entirely too drab for her liking. After a quick spell to create a more fitting chamber for a Princess, Marco still seemed a little dumbfounded by her magic. That was at least a little flattering, Star remembered, remembering the brightness in his eyes when she completed the spell.

But… that's _exactly_ her problem with him. He was too easy to indulge, and she let her sense of responsibility be eclipsed in the interest of impressing him, and she improperly magicked a small litter of puppies. Her recklessness had granted them irregular lasers that erupted from their tiny, cute little eyes, but Marco couldn't have been more pleased with them. Against her better judgement, she let him and the Diazes keep them.

After that, she carefully tucked away her wand and promised herself to use as little as magic as possible while on Earth, and insisted that she and Marco do something else. At that, he said he could show her something almost as impressive: the Internet.

She met Alfonso and Ferguson, Marco's longtime friends, via the magic connectivity between devices. It was sort of like her compact mirror, which was highly advanced magic for Mewni, and the Earth's equivalent _was_ impressive.

 _"So how did they get in there? Do you scan your bodies? Or is there a portal?"_

He had laughed at her when she asked that. Her heartbeat quickened at the memory, almost flushing from embarrassment.

 _"No, Princess. They're sitting at a computer like we are. You'll meet them at school on Monday, but I figured we'd ease into the intros, hmm? If you're going to be my friend, then you gotta be cool with these guys."_

She almost giggled, remembering the way their little avatars on the screen waved at her. Alfonzo and Ferguson. She would remember their names.

 _"So, we're friends now?"_ She remembered catching him off-guard with that, but he puffed out his chest and replied with an annoyed roll of his eyes.

 _"Hey, if we can beat up monsters together, then we're probably alright."_

Luckily, Ludo and his gang hadn't shown up during the whole weekend, and her "Earth life" was going relatively smoothly.

Up until Monday, that is.

Midday. Lunchtime… She frowned down at her tray. She used to _love_ lunch time on Mewni.

Marco noticed her reluctance to eat, pushing and scraping the sides of the grey grease that was some poor excuse for food and sighed in exasperation. He pushed his packed lunch towards her, not keen on listening to her complain during his only break in the day.

"For the love of Macki Hand, just eat this."

Star looked up, surprised, and accepted the crumpled paper. She pressed the wrinkled brown texture between her fingers, eyes narrowed in scrutiny.

"Is it… edible?"

"You're hopeless, Princess." Marco snatched the strange blob back and - _oh._ It opened. There was something inside, geometrical food pointed in every direction.

"Oh, well," she paused to clear her throat when Marco passed back the bag. "Thank you for the… triangle... food."

Marco stood up and stretched his arms over his head, cracking his half-gloved fingers in the process. That was something Star did _not_ understand about his get-up - what was the point of wearing gloves on only part of your hands? Earth was a strange place indeed.

"I'm going… outside. I'll be back in like, fifteen. Think you can survive without me?" He grinned, knowing the insinuation would bother her. He added to the effect by leering over her with an expression that was the image of condescension.

Star turned her head to the side and pointedly closed her eyes, brow drawn together.

"Of course I can! Don't hurry back." She replied, snickering a bit to at the end to betray her attempt to be mad at him. He turned away with a laugh of his own, heading towards the back exit of the school parking lot.

On his way outside, Marco heard a familiar voice around the corner of the science hallway. Jackie Lynn Thomas, he knew it immediately.

With an automatic scowl, Marco threw up his hood and continued walking, pretending not to notice her when he passed the corner and made a beeline for the door. If she noticed him passing, she didn't say anything, and he was just fine with that.

Once he was outside properly, Marco let out a low breath of air and removed his hood, his hand lingering at his ear to fiddle with one of his piercings. This was probably his favorite place on the school grounds, at least during the warmer months.

The shadows bled through the bleachers overhead, casting daubs of dim light along the back exit, punctured by a few delicate rays of sunlight through the metal panelling overhead. An occasional bee or insect would buzz by, humming a tune to the last sighs of a summer breeze and continued on their way through the comfortable California air. Marco took a few deep inhales of the refreshing, energized oxygen that welcomed him before making his way to the bleacher stairs.

"Hey, Janna? You out here?" He called as he went up the steps. She was the only other person who smoked regularly and he hadn't spotted her at lunch, so he expected her to be outside in their usual place.

Nope. No Janna today.

With a shrug, he moved down the bench to sit comfortably, legs propped up against the metal bars that kept fans from spilling over into the field during a football game. No one came out here at this time of day, except for him and sometimes Janna, and he preferred to keep it that way.

It was simple. Quiet.

Unlike his life lately, which was… loud and complicated. Unpredictable.

Marco lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply, letting the smoke heat his chest with toxic tendrils, slow on the exhale of monoxide into the atmosphere.

It's not that he didn't enjoy Star's company so far. The past three days had been a sort of mini vacation from the real world, just her and his parents, spending time together at his house. He showed her movies, and she showed him a spell or two. She was interested in simple things, like the bathroom and the variety of cacti that grew around their house, whereas he couldn't be bothered to get out of bed. That didn't stop her from coming in and bothering him, talking to him until he eventually got up. She was gullible and easy to annoy, but at the same time, unafraid to throw a few cheeky remarks back to him. There was a sort of untenable charm she carried with her wherever she went, between her wide smile and soft voice and enchanting perfume, she was just _nice._ Easy to be with, easy to know, easy to talk to.

Too easy, really. He blamed Star for being stupidly adorable, because he wasn't interested in making any more friends. Caring about other people took work, he thought wryly, and that's how he got burned before.

Marco ashed his cigarette carelessly over the metal seats with a rising memory, glad he was over-and-done with Jackie. That had been a rollercoaster few months and it just ended up making things more difficult on everyone - their chemistry was all wrong, too strong and inherently destructive. They brought out the bad qualities in each other, and even if it was fun, it didn't feel right. Unfortunately, they had to still see each other everyday in a few classes and in the halls, and it was always a little uncomfortable.

He suspected more than once she wanted to get back together, judging by the occasional text or wave when they crossed paths, but she also might just be trying to be friendly. Either way, Marco wasn't interested. Between Star and Janna, he didn't need anymore girls in his circle to sully the reputation he had earned. Janna was tough, while Star on the other hand...

It had only taken half a full school day with Star sitting beside him in class, talking and sharing smiles and private jokes for the rumors to spread. Janna had assured him in the short break after biology that she had _no idea_ what he could be talking about, but he highly doubted that. Gossip was practically the girl's freakin' middle name. In fact, he wouldn't be surprised if she was the source of the rumors.

Whatever the case, Marco wasn't going to indulge. Star was too oblivious to understand the context of the whispers that followed them into each class, and he was making a pointed effort not to acknowledge them outside the passing comment with Janna - that would show he cared too much. If kids wanted to think he and Star were together in any sort of _romantic_ way, then -

A loud shearing sound disrupted his train of thought, and Marco had to scramble to not drop his cigarette. Cursing, he patted off some unwanted ash that had fallen onto his jeans while he looked for the source of the noise. It was like a cross between an extremely loud zipper and a paper shredder.

"The fuck was that…?" He said to no one in particular, looking around the field. It came from the Eastern end, near the goalpost, and he had to blink and rub his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

A portal, much like the one that those monsters had escaped into from the other day, tore a hole through the fibers of their dimension a few inches above the turf. The color of a swamp, the tear swirled menacingly, and from within two large black figures with horror-style masks emerged. They looked at each other, presumably exchanging a few words that were beyond Marco's perception.

"What the…" he muttered, ducking down and spying through the metal grating, watching them stalk away from the school after a moment. They were evidently going somewhere, but it was _away_ , so that much was good.

Marco huffed angrily and stood to finish his smoke. Whatever those things were, it was clear there was at least _some_ connection to Star - up until three days ago, no one appeared through ominous interdimensional portals in the middle of Echo Creek - but he wasn't about to follow them either. He had barely gotten away with lying to his parents on Friday about cutting with Star, and he didn't need any extra trouble.

Star, after all, was trouble enough.

The princess munched on a few of the pointed consumables Marco had left her with, sighing contently with each one. Even if the seating in the cafe was uncomfortable and there was no housemaids or footmen to serve her, she didn't have any trouble enjoying the snack. By herself, she could study the strange flaxen texture of each bite, sticky and cold in her hands but stiff and crunchy on her tongue. Bizarre, but delicious, Star focused on the task of eating rather than the creeping anxiety of passing eyes and students walking by. She told Marco she would be fine without him - she _would be_ \- she survived the whole first afternoon on her own. She didn't need him, no, but it was at least nice to have a sort of "first line of defense" between her and anyone who had tried to talk to her in class. He kept away strangers, suggested who was worth giving the time of day, and did not once pressure her to act in a way that made her uncomfortable.

Except right now, without him, she was a _bit_ uncomfortable.

"Star!"

She jolted when a voice appeared behind her, though it sounded friendly enough. Still, she jumped, but chalked it up to being immersed in how absolutely-ridiculously-magically delicious these silly triangles were.

"Mar - _oh_? H-hi, Janna. I thought you were Marco." Star laughed awkwardly as the girl gave her a three fingered, nonchalant wave and sat down next to her at the table.

That made Janna snort as she pulled out her cell phone, typing into the small screen.

"I'm not sure if I should be offended or flattered."

Star grinned sheepishly, but wasn't sure how to reply.

Janna continued to make easy conversation. "How are you adjusting?"

Chewing on the inside of her cheek, Star took a moment to consider how to answer.

"Things are definitely better than when I last saw you. I think taking the… the _weekend_ ," she said, emphasizing the word. She hoped she said it correctly. "To get settled in helped. Marco's parents are so sweet."

"Oh yeah, the Diaz's are the bomb," replied the dark-haired girl, nodding slowly while she continued to text. Star was impressed with her ability to multitask; Marco couldn't text and talk at the same time.

"Thanks again for passing me that note on Friday," Star said. "I was really, um… nervous? It was a lot to take in at once."

Janna eyed Star's two lunches, one clearly prepared by school and the other by Marco. "No prob, Bob. I didn't expect you to be from a different dimension, but still, that's got to be some sort of crazy jet-lag."

Star was going to ask her to elaborate (and remind her of her name), but stopped when Janna shot an arm into the air and waved.

"Oh, hey guys - over here!" As an aside to Star, Janna added, "Have you met Alfonso and Ferg yet?"

Star arranged her face into a beaming smile, determined not to be nervous to meet these "friends" of Marco's face-to-face.

"Yes! We met on Saturday on the… _world wide web._ " Star narrowed her eyes. The expression gave her the appearance of hostility when, in reality, she was really just trying to imagine a spider web that connected people through their phones and computers. And Marco called _her_ weird.

Janna stopped to chuckle, trying to mentally prepare herself for this conversation. "Don't get too excited… They're abuncha dorks."

Star's smile fell a few degrees, but she perked up as soon as they sat down across from the girls.

The thin, olive-skinned boy spoke first. He had a kind smile and wore glasses, dressed in a very well-suited shade of blue. "Hey! You're Star Butterfly!"

Star nodded and opened her mouth, but Ferguson held a hand up before she could respond. He leaned close and lowered his tone, so Star moved in, straining to hear him over the din of students.

"Hi Star, quick, while Marco's gone. I wanna prank him. Wanna help out? Don't be weirded out, okay?"

She shot a sidelong look towards Janna who shrugged, so Star tentatively nodded. "Um, okay… What kind of prank?"

"Well," Ferguson said as he leaned back, taking a bite of his own gray mush. "I want to see if we can annoy him. Nothing physical, just, something to get under his skin. What do you say?"

Star opened her mouth, surprised and a little uneasy at the suggestion, but then she pressed her lips closed again. Marco had tried to annoy her on purpose since she arrived, and it _could_ be fun to try to get back to him… but it would also be really, really unfair to take a jab at someone's feelings, even someone like Marco.

With a frown, she shook her head shyly. "I don't know... I don't think I could do that to Marco."

Alfonso nudged Ferguson in between a bite of food. "I told you it was a bad idea!"

He paused and looked at Star sympathetically. " _I_ told him it was a bad idea."

Beside her, Janna snickered quietly and mumbled something under her breath, so Star gave her a quizzical look.

"What?"

Janna looked thoughtfully at the ceiling for a second, only for her face to morph into a mischievous grin a moment later. She put her phone away properly and kicked her feet up on the table. Star, meanwhile, was taken aback by her indecent display and her utter disregard for modesty.

 _She's wearing a skirt, for corn's sake! And there are boys… Literally._ _ **Right**_ _. There._

She felt herself turn pink in the face for Janna's sake; if she wasn't going to be ashamed of her own impudence, Star would have to do it on her behalf.

"Look, Star," Janna said. "Lesson one for your time on Earth. Never turn down a good prank. Do you think _Marco_ would have given it a second thought?"

That made her clench her jaw, suddenly unsure. It just didn't feel right to do, but, these _were_ Marco's friends. They knew him far better than she did, and if it truly _was_ harmless…

"Okay… maybe…?" Star conceded with a small smile, and Ferguson and Janna cheered.

They laid the plot out, and once she had an understanding of what they had in mind, it seemed shockingly simple. On Mewni, she could have expected someone to lose a leg or get bitten by a Terror Warbler on even the most timid of pranks, so just a casual little farce seemed totally innocuous by comparison.

Alfonso, however, looked even more unsure. He tried a second time to convince them otherwise, this time appealing to Star's initial reservations.

"I don't know guys, Marco can get really...protective."

With an exasperated expression, Janna gave Alfonso a look, resting her chin against the palm of her hand. She gestured towards Star, appraising her with bright eyes, and then raised an eyebrow towards the skinny boy.

"Maybe, but if it's _Star_ we're talking about, I think you mean _jealous_."

Star bit her lip before popping another triangle into her mouth. "Jealous?"

Janna flashed a grin at the girl, which only confused her more, before she put an arm over Star's shoulder and squeezed. "Listen, Star, you've got a _lot_ to learn about Earth. And I'm not talking about math."

Thoroughly confused and a little overwhelmed by everyone on Earth's insistence on touching her so nonchalantly, Star replied with a pout. "But… I'm really good at math..."

All three of them seemed to find that response amusing, earning Star laughter around the table.

Something about what she said must have been funny, even if she wasn't sure why, so she grinned with a little more confidence and ate another triangle, glad to be getting along okay with these humans.

Her first social interaction without Marco… and it went well. Really well. Maybe she could do this after all.

"So, where _is_ Marco, anyways? Lunch is usually his best subject." Ferguson lobbed the question to the whole group, but when all eyes turned to Star, it was clear that they expected her to answer.

"Oh. Umm..." she paused, putting down the gooey-yet-somehow-crisp triangle so she could answer properly. "He said he was… going outside! He said he'd be back in about fifteen minutes."

Star grinned proudly at the others, pleased with herself for remembering. They all exchanged a knowing look at that, though it went unnoticed by Star, too busy humming and enjoying another bite of Marco's angular snack.


	8. The Prank and Proposition

Marco didn't often skip lunch - I mean, who would? It's _lunch_. Designated time to eat and do nothing in the middle of a school day?

But, sometimes, his body craved a cigarette more than it desired food, so he would occasionally blow the forty-five minutes outside. In general, he tried not to, even if he did want a smoke - once he was outside of the building, it was that much more tempting to just vault over the fence and leave the grounds for the day.

Today, however, he had no problem leaving the sunny rays of mid afternoon sun to re-enter his personal purgatory, colored by cheap fluorescents and linoleum tiles. He set a course for the lunchroom immediately, eyes scanning for a halo of golden hair or a flash of red silk, his ears tuned to the gentle melody of a royal declaration or confused giggle.

His pace was a little quicker than normal, motivated by the clearly magical and even more clearly menacing guests that had just arrived in his dimension, concerning close to the school. If they were looking for Star, at least they were heading the wrong way, but that could change at any point.

Marco entered the lunchroom to find Star right where he had left her, but with some new company. Janna was seated immediately to her right, and both girls were facing his direction. Alfonso had found a seat across from them, and Ferg was just sitting down beside him.

Great - just what he needed. Prying ears listening to them talk _magic_. Maybe she would agree to leave lunch early so they could speak privately…

Star smiled and waved when she noticed Marco coming, and he tried to keep himself from doing the same. People were looking, after all. People were _always_ looking. Even Janna was looking, though her eyes were glued to her phone - the girl had eyes everywhere.

A few feet from the table, Marco slowled when noticed Ferg stand again, which seemed odd considering he only just sat down. He watched his friend shift his posture, leaning forward over the cheap school tables.

He took Star's hand expertly in his own and kissed her knuckles like a gentleman or prince on Mewni; Star giggled and turned pink in the face, while Janna simply rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath.

" _Enchanted_ to meet you in person, Princess Butterfly. Marco has told me so much about you, and …"

In retrospect, Marco wasn't sure what came faster - the anger, the scowl, or his own crushing fingers clamping down on Ferg's wrist. It all happened so fast. Then again, the ordering didn't really matter, when the reality boiled down to him standing at the end of their table, hand an iron grip around Ferguson's wrist and twisting it so painfully the boy cried out. Marco blinked, a little surprised with himself, and let go.

"Dude, calm down? What the fuck?" Ferg said, holding his bruised wrist with his other hand and looking at Marco in annoyance. Janna appeared genuinely surprised, and Star covered her mouth with both hands in horror.

(Alfonso actually looked rather pleased with himself.)

Marco felt himself turn red from embarrassment at snapping so suddenly, and, more importantly, for actually hurting his friend. "You can't just… Star's not…" he started to say, flustered and stopping to facepalm.

"Just… _ugh_ , just don't be like that, man! You could've hurt her. She's my exchange student. I'd be in deep shit if something happened to her."

There was a tense pause as they all looked around the table, varying degrees of shock and perhaps even fear lined into their expressions before Ferguson and Janna burst out laughing. Star and Alfonso joined in, although their reactions seemed considerably less sincere.

"What? What is _wrong_ with you guys?" Marco looked around, still hot in the face and growing angrier by the second.

"I… I, heh, just, _hehe. 'Hurt her'?_ Yeah. _That's_ why you were mad. Yeah, good one." Ferguson said while sitting down, still massaging his wrist and he and Janna continued to giggle. The others had both stopped at this point, and Star was looking down at Marco's lunch with that same overwhelming, heartbreaking sincerity in her crystalline eyes from the first day. Just like when they first met, she looked incredibly apologetic, like she might even start crying.

Marco grit his teeth and elbowed Janna to move over, sitting down next to Star once again. He nudged her and she peeked up through her lashes at him, and _fuck_ if she didn't look pretty, but _focus you idiot_ , he reminded himself.

With a slow exhale, ignoring their jeering laughter, he smiled at Star. "It's whatever. You good?" Once he saw her pink lips turn up into a smile, his own stomach twisted into an uncomfortable knot. There was a distinctive sort of soft roundness that changed in her expression when she smiled, as if her heart marks grew to suit her mood.

He rolled back his shoulders and addressed them all properly. "So… what'd I miss?"

They slipped into a good-humored chat for the remainder of lunch, talking about everything from Mewnian holidays to trying to explain the point of their Dice & Disaster online game ("So… just to be clear… it's a simulation of a real game, in which you simulate a world of fantasy… and it's considered… _cool_?") when Star noticed she had eaten all of Marco's lunch.

"Oh, no," she interrupted their conversation with a frown, and Marco looked over to see the empty plastic bag. The bell rang before either of them could comment, and the group started to go their separate ways.

Star held the bag in her hands with a strange mixture of guilt and greed on her face. "I ate all of your triangles."

Biting her lip, she glanced up at him. "Are there more?"

Marco laughed and rolled his eyes, taking the bag from and shoving it into the outer brown bag to throw away. "First of all, Princess, they're _nachos_. Not triangles. And second, those were cold and left-over. I mean, they're a step up from cafeteria food, but they couldn't have been that good."

Star felt indignant at the defamation of her (his) lunch, walking beside him as they went to their next class.

"Those were 'low quality' tria- _nachos_?" She corrected herself, one brow arced seriously into her delicate honey-colored bangs.

"Mhmm," he replied, burying his hands in his pockets while they moved through the halls. "You've really never had nachos before? I can't even imagine." Marco really tried, and he couldn't. They were his favorite food, and his Mexican-American heritage made them central to his upbringing.

Star blinked a few times and shook her head from side to side severely. "No. We don't have anything like that on Mewni. We're a… corn loving people."

Marco hummed for a moment, thoughtful, and led them into Ms. Skullnick's class. He automatically went to the seat farthest by the window, not really paying attention.

"Oh no," Star paused when she started to sit down. "I'm in your seat again, Marco, I'm sorry - let me just…"

Marco glanced at her and shrugged. "It's fine." He sounded distracted.

"Umm… R-really? Well… okay, then," she replied after a beat of silence, resettling into the chair and sliding the seat forward so she could sit up, chin pointed forward and waiting for the lesson to begin, and not a moment too soon. Ms. Skullnick sauntered into the room, a permanent sneer settled across her orcish expression.

"Alright, brats, geography today. Get your notes ready…"

Abruptly, Marco turned towards Star and tapped his chin. "I bet you could make nachos on Mewni."

"Huh? Class is starting, Marco, we really should - "

"The tortillas - the chips, the crunchy part - those are made of _corn_ flour. Bet the chefs on Mewni could make 'em if they knew how."

"Diaz!" Ms. Skullnick threw a piece of chalk at Marco, and he dodged it masterfully. "Stop distracting Ms. Butterfly, _please_."

Marco put his hands up and shrugged innocently, earning him a roll of the eye from the teacher.

Once Skullzy turned away, he breathed a tiny sigh and pulled his phone out from his pocket, but he made the fatal mistake of glancing Star's way one last time.

A tapestry of yellow silk, the girl's hair framed her porcelain features with a sort of golden luminescence. The brightness of her eyes made her whole face appear animated, making each curving line between her nose and lips, all the way up to her forehead appear soft and supple.

Touchable.

He wondered what it would feel like to rub circles under her chin with his thumb, or to  
follow the curvature of her jawline with an index finger.

 _Nope, no, nope._

Marco cleared his throat a little unnecessarily and put his hood up, feeling rather red in the face all of the sudden.

Once Skullzy got into the throes of her lesson, which was really more of a tirade of the cheapness of school textbooks and the inaccuracy of model globes, Marco waited for the right moment to get Star's attention. Her hand was flying across the paper of her new notebook, detailing everything Ms. Skullnick said, diagrams and all.

Star noticed Marco lean closer to her once the teacher began to draw a crude recreation of the "European continent," but she didn't dare look his way. She needed to pay attention if she was going to be successful, especially after last week's disaster in Ms. Skullnick's class.

Quietly, he said, "Wanna learn how to make nachos tonight?"

She worked to arrange her face into a stoic mask, trying to ignore the fluttering she felt of her heart marks against her cheeks at the tempting offer. It made her hands feel clammy. Why?

Still staring straight ahead, Star moved her head up and down by a few millimeters. A verbal response was too great a risk, but she couldn't resist the offer.


	9. Flying Princess Pony Head

"Alright Princess," Marco pulled a tray from the oven, squinting his eyes at the warm blast of convected air that puffed into his face. "What do you think?"

He turned and placed the huge baking sheet onto the counter, the heat still visibly rising off the melted cheese and crisp corners of the tortilla chips. The expression on her face was somewhere between awe and pride, and she was practically bouncing in her chair from excitement.

"Oh Marco they look _so_ good! Thank you!" She was about to grab an especially delicious-looking isosceles, cheesy creation when he jerked the tray back slightly, his oversized mittens making him look uncharacteristically adorable.

"Goddamn, just hold on a sec," he said. "These are super hot. Just out of the oven, you'll burn yourself."

It only took about thirty seconds for Marco to fix them both plates, though he went deliberately slow because he could tell it was driving Star crazy. She had an impressive appetite for someone so petite, and between each class and all the way home, she couldn't stop chattering about her excitement to learn how to make the classic Mexican snack.

"And don't thank me, you did about as much work as I did," he said, passing her a plate. Star's brow came together like she wanted to respond, but she decided to hold off on commenting until she sufficiently stuffed her face. A guilty part of her mind knew she was acting improper, but these gooey little miracles on her tongue were just too good.

"Mmmm," she hummed contently, licking her finger and pushing it down into the plate to collect even the crumbs. Marco had to press his lips together to keep from laughing, because damn if it wasn't the cutest thing he's ever seen.

"These aren't even that good," he rolled his eyes at her enthusiasm, biting into another chip as he watched Star become offended at the denigrating comment.

Before she had a chance to reprimand him, however, Marco's mother entered the room and smiled warmly at the sight of the kids getting along. "Ah, Star! Looks like you've finally had the chance to try some of _Marco's Super Awesome Nachos!_ " She said the last part in a sing-songy voice, and Marco groaned, slumping over the counter and planting his forehead into the cool granite surface.

Star giggled at the inflection of his mother's tone, beaming as the woman winked at her. If anyone could make Marco regret his choices, it was Mrs. Diaz, and her smile only widened as the older woman came over and stole one of the nachos off his plate.

"Mm, well done kids," she quipped and patted her son on top of his head. A hand flew up to shoo away her touch, and Marco sank further onto the stone countertop. " _Mom_ , go away."

"Heh, thank you, Mrs. Diaz," Star interrupted Marco's whining. "These _are_ super awesome." Star flashed a dazzling set of white teeth at Marco when his head flew up angrily, shooting her an annoyed look when she repeated the same tune his mother had just sung. The woman squeezed her son's shoulder, turning him an even deeper shade of red, before moving out of the kitchen and back towards the living room.

" _Women_ ," Marco mumbled, chagrined as he bit into another piece of melted cheese.

"You know, it wouldn't kill you to - um," Star was going to tease him, enjoying the embarrassed blush that spread all the way to his ears but she stopped at a weird sound. Marco noticed it to, frowning and looking towards the back door at the sound of a high pitched whining.

"You hear that too?" He asked, moving towards the small window in the doorframe and glancing around outside.

"Yeah, it sorta sounds like… but, no…" Star held one of her arms across her chest, the other hand cupping her cheek worriedly. Marco glanced at her from over his shoulder, certain he had never heard any sound _remotely_ familiar to that in his whole life, and bodily froze.

"Oh shit," he whispered, smacking his forehead. "Star, I completely forgot to tell you - this morning, during lunch. Something happened at school, and it - "

"Shh," Star held up the hand that had been against her heart mark, face serious. It _really_ sounded like _her_ , but why would she be on Earth?

"Star, I'm serious, this is - "

"Marco, please." She shot him a warning look when he tried to speak again, and the boy grit his teeth in irritation. Under his breath he grumbled a complaint but Star was listening to the sound, growing louder and getting closer, but…

"Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"

It couldn't be…

"aaaaeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEE"

But it _really_ sounded like...

"FLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYYYY!"

 _Crash_.

A shuddering smack against the back door made Star squeak in surprise and Marco even flinched away, hand lingering over the knob with a confused scowl. Star's doubts had all but been confirmed when the sound stopped, only to be replaced by a dejected winnie behind the wooden barricade, and she sighed.

"Marco, I know what that is." She fixed the hem of her dress after scooting off the tall bar-stool, pausing to fix her bows and to brush the hair out of her face. "Or, more accurately, _who_ that is."

The dark haired boy just looked at her, clearly confused, if not a little angry.

"That sound was _not_ human, Star," he said, scratching his unshaven face.

"Oh," she replied with a smirk. "I didn't suggest it _was_ human. I'd suggest you open it now, if your parents want their door to stay intact."

Marco glowered at her but compiled, swinging the door open and earning them both a horrible cry.

" _WaaaAAAAAAH BEEEEEEEEE-FLLLLLLLLYYYYYYY!"_

"Jesus fucking chr-" Marco's hands flew to cover his ears, but Star put on her most supportive smile.

"Flying Princess Pony Head!" She bowed gracefully at her best friend's surprise appearance, trying not to demonstrate her irritation that she showed up unannounced.

Automatically, the so-named princess shot through the open door and flew at Star's chest, giving her the equivalent of a limbless-hug. Star grimaced and patted the blue and pink princess gently on her mane, clearly uncomfortable.

"I-it's okay, Princess Pony Head. I'm right here. Not so loud, please…" Star tried to make her voice as reassuring as possible, which at least reduced the yelling to a disturbing sniffling sound.

Marco, meanwhile, had utterly deadpanned at the strangeness of the interaction, appearance, and inappropriate wailing that greeted them. He just watched the pair with plain confusion etched into his expression, too surprised to even act annoyed.

Star let out a low exhale and gently pushed her fellow princess back, trying to look at her properly. "Princess Pony - "

"B-Fly, it's the _worst_ news, _ever_. I'm _going to St. O's_!"

Star gasped audibly, hands cupping her heart marks in horror. No _wonder_ Pony Head was so distraught.

"Oh, no, Pony I'm so sorry… Tell me what happened?"

"Um, _ahem_ ," Marco called as Star led her longtime pink and blue friend towards the counter, offering her a nacho sympathetically.

"Care to fill me in, Star?"

Pony Head shook her mane out, blinking repeatedly at Marco's presence across from them. Whispering very loudly towards Star, she leaned towards the blonde's ear. "Um, who is _this_ person? Why do they smell like death?"

Marco wasn't amused by that. "Whoa, okay. You can't just come into my house, screaming like a fuckin banshee and insult me. You better start talking or you're getting the fuck out."

Letting her head hang backwards, Star looked at the ceiling in utter exasperation. "Both of you, please, can you stop? Marco, this is Flying Princess Pony Head. She is the Princess of another dimension, like me."

Marco arched an eyebrow, clearly distrustful, and crossed his arms.

 _At least he's not swearing anymore,_ Star thought ruefully.

With a few pats around her friend's mane, she added, "And this, Princess Pony Head, is my new friend Marco Diaz. This is his home, and his parents have graciously allowed me to stay here for the year."

"Oh, snap, girl I didn't know… Well, whatever," Pony Head looked apologetic for a moment, but whipped her hair around and her lower lip began to quiver. "I need you to hide me here with you girl, I can't go to St. O's. You _know_ what happens to people there!"

Star shuddered and nodded; even as a notoriously well-mannered royal, Star had heard the horror stories of St. Olga's Reform School for Wayward Princesses. Their idea of "reformation" was much closer to "brainwashing," and Star could not respect any institution that tried to wipe away anyone's self-evident right to be themselves… even if it was someone like Pony Head, who could use a lesson or two in manners.

Biting her lower lip, Star looked over at Marco who still appeared to be angry. "I don't know, Princess Pony Head… Won't they send the guards after you?"

That gave the sniffling equestrian pause, lips turned down before she grit her teeth and studied the floor. "Yes, _but_ they don't know I'm here. Please, B-Fly, if I can just hide out for a little while…"

Marco piped up at this point, and Star could tell his patience wasn't holding very well. "I don't know whatever this _St. O's_ shit is, but if the 'guards' are shifty looking guys clad in all black with masks, then you're S.O.L. They're already in this dimension."

Star and Pony Head both flinched at the lashing quality to his tone, and the friends met eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Star looked at him, her own temper flaring a bit. They hadn't seen anyone matching that description - was he just trying to scare Pony Head into leaving?

"Fuckin' christ, Princess. That's what I was trying to explain while you shushed me. I saw them this morning during lunch, when I was outside. Two of them. They were probably the size of my Dad if I had to guess, and they came out of a portal just like, uh, what was his name… Ludo?"

Star inhaled sharply through her nostrils, half tempted to smack him for speaking to her like that, and half tempted to hide herself if he was being honest. If the guards really were here after Pony Head, then Star's compliance with her friend's plan would implicate her as well. Word would get back to her parents, and she knew it would come to her being as "enrolled" in the school herself.

Anxiously, Star looked over at Pony Head and noticed her pleading eyes, and a pang went off in her chest. Pony Head was usually lively and the most positive presence in a room, and Star couldn't handle seeing her like this. A little film reel went off in her mind, remembering them growing up together; Pony Head was always the confident and fun one, while Star was much more reserved and shy. They balanced each other out, Pony Head propping up Star if she was feeling weak or self-conscious, and Star helping Pony Head master royal etiquette and get over her many break-ups. Even if her best friend was reckless and imprudent, no one deserved this…

"So?" Marco prodded when they all fell silent, but his interruption actually came as a welcome surprise. Star's head popped up and met his stare, and his anger seemed to flicker for a moment. Pony Head wasn't the only one who was reckless, so _maybe_ …

"Marco?" Star called, and he wrinkled his nose in reply. She wasn't going to sway him on this - no way was this random _Flying Princess Pony Head_ staying in his house, especially not with those goons from earlier on the lookout for her.

"Can I talk to you for a second? Sorry, Princess Pony Head, it'll be just a second. Okay?" Star cupped her friend's cheek and gave her a kind smile, at which the floating horse-head whinied appreciatively and Star slid off the stool a second time. Marco noticed the strain in the princess's expression, however, and he was surprised when she marched over to him and grabbed him by the wrist, dragging him from the room and up the stairs.

She opened the door to his room and shut the door behind them, her mask of assurance crumbling with the click. Marco sat down in his desk chair, waiting for the pleading to start, firmly not planning on meeting her gaze.

Star sighed loudly and sat on the edge of his bed, facing him. "Marco, I'm really worried about Princess Pony Head. She can't stay here."

"Oh," he said, a little dumbfounded. That was not what he expected, and, caught off guard, he said nothing else.

Star continued. "But, she's been my friend for a very long time. I am sorry for the way you met, by the way. That was not ideal."

He snorted and crossed his arms. "Yeah, you could say that. But why did you want to talk to me? She's your friend, and no offense, you're the one who needs to tell her to go."

"That's the thing," Star said with a small smile directed towards him. _Fuck, you weren't supposed to meet her eyes, Diaz._ He coughed and looked away.

"If she's messed up enough with her parents to get sent to St. Olga's, then she really can't hide. They always find you," she paused, making a face at that. Marco busied his attention by adjusting his gloves, waiting for her to continue.

"Even though you met under less-than-desirable circumstances, I do think you both have some things in common. You're both troublemakers, for instance." Marco flashed her a glare, but rolled his eyes when he noticed her knowing grin.

"You know Earth way better than I do, and frankly, you probably know more about reprimanding than I do." Star tapped her chin a few times, and Marco tentatively recalled his long list of detentions, truancy complaints, suspensions and threats for expulsion.

And his juvenile criminal record.

 _And_ the amount of times he had evaded adding to that record - the omissions far outweighed the actual list.

"Mmm… You got me there, Princess," he gave her a sheepish smile, and Star laughed lightly before continuing.

"Well, do you have any ideas on how we can help her, then? I don't want _us_ to get in trouble, but we can't just send her away. There's got to be a… a happy medium, right? Some sort of compromise?"

"Ah," Marco nodded, now understanding. She wanted his "expertise" on the subject, so to speak, and he wasn't sure if that was something to be proud of or not.

He sucked on his teeth for a moment, nodding slowly and standing up. He picked at the bandaid on his face absently, considering his limited knowledge of Star's dimensional travel and his rather impressive repertoire of avoiding punishment.

"Well… I assume these guys are pretty good at tracking people down, since they found that she was here almost immediately?"

Star nodded, watching him pace the length of his room.

"Mmm… okay, that's tough, then. If she can't hide, then there's really only two options. She can fight, or she can give up. And judging by the way you guys talked about St. Olin's,"

"Olga's." Star corrected automatically, and Marco rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. The way you talk about this St. _Olgas_ , then, I'm guessing fighting is also a bad idea?"

Star seemed disturbed by the suggestion, nodding vigorously this time. Marco paused and tapped his foot on the ground.

"Then she's really going to have to give up eventually. Probably not the answer you wanted, Princess, but there's no way around that."

Across from him, Star flopped backwards onto his bed and groaned, covering her eyes with her hands. "Some help you are…"

Marco scoffed and sat beside her, surprised that she was getting so worked up over this. "Them's the breaks, kid. If it was a lesser crime - or whatever it is Princesses do to get sent to St. Olga's - then she could probably wait out the interest on her, but if her parents are the ones who made the decision, then there aren't many options. You could at least make it a little easier on her?"

Star peeked through her fingers at him. "So there's _nothing_ we can do?"

"Uh, I mean," Marco looked away, not willing to notice how fucking cute she looked when she pouted. "You could at least make it a little easier on her?"

"How can I do that?"

Marco stood up and moved towards the door, resting his fingers on the knob. "Well, if I was about to get expelled, for example, I'd want to go out with a bang, you know? Fuck around one last time before it's over. You could at least give her that."

Sitting forward again, Star's face grew severe, and she hummed for a moment. Mostly to herself, she asked, "But… how do I do that?"

Marco dropped his head and sighed. "God, how did you survive without me?"

Star blushed and stood up, stomping an angry foot while she did. "H-hey, I wasn't _asking_ you. I was thinking out loud. And I have the perfect idea, _thank you very much_!"

"Oh, do you now?" Marco turned around, expression dubious, and Star felt herself grow warm in the face.

Why did it matter what he thought? She could think of something… whatever Pony Head likes to do, Star would just do that.

"Y-yes! Pony Head likes to… she likes to _party_. So… so get ready, Diaz! We're going out tonight."

Star poked him in the chest for emphasis and led herself out of his room, and he blinked after her, more than a little surprised. It only took him a moment to start laughing, however, at the thought of _Star_ trying to _party_?

Oh man, he wasn't going to miss this for the world.


	10. The Bounce Lounge

Star finished brushing out her hair, watching her floating friend out of the reflection in her massive vanity. She had just finished changing into something slightly more suitable for an evening out, trading in her poofy blue and golden dress for a pink ruffled blouse, cream and sky-colored jacket and a simple aquamarine skirt. She couldn't go out without her ribbons, however, so she quickly used her wand to turn them a matching shade of rosy pink before tucking the heirloom into her signature hip bag and securely zipped the top.

"I almost forgot to ask, how did you get here, Princess Pony Head?"

"Oh, girl, I almost forgot to show you," replied her friend, practically glowing once Star told her they were going out. She all but forgot about her impending fate at St. Olga's, so surprised that _Star_ was the one who suggested it that she immediately demanded they go to her room and apply as much glitter to her horn as possible. Star had to smile at that, pleased that her plan to help her friend let loose was actually working - though, she felt a pit of guilt in her stomach at not mentioning the finality of Marco's suggestion.

 _Mess* around one last time before it's over, you know? You could at least give her that._

Pony Head swished around her mouth for a moment, before making a sickening retching sound and sticking out her tongue. There, dripping from the tip of her candy-colored tongue glittered a a pair of dimensional scissors, complete with a platinum blade and an iridescent gemstone embedded in the center.

" _Wow_ ," Star breathed, thoroughly surprised to see a pair of scissors so close. Usually Manfred opened portals for her and her parents, so this was the nearest she had been to a pair in many years.

"Aih, aeh dow 'eight?" Her friend sputtered, utterly unintelligible as the magical item dribbled with spit from her mouth. Star scrunched up her face in mild disgust and nodded.

"Okay, yep, you can put them back…"

"Are you ready yet, Star?" Marco's voice interrupted her reaction as he lazily swung open the door to her bedroom.

"Marco!" She exclaimed, standing suddenly. His expression looked somewhere between annoyed and amused as the princess crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.

"First of all, you didn't knock. Please do so next time," she turned her chin away, showing her disappointment.

"Yeah, probably not happening. Next?" Marco crossed the room to stand adjacent to the mirror, eyes lingering over Pony Head's still jutting-out tongue.

"Err… well, you also didn't clean yourself up _at all_. Seriously, you could have put in a little effort." Star peeked at him through one eye and he shrugged, taking her seat at the vanity and earning himself a proper scowl.

"Looks like you put in enough effort for the both of us, Princess." He said, gesturing to her change of outfit and freshly brushed hair. Star flushed and turned away from him, "hmmp"ing and crossing her arms. Pony Head watched the exchange like a tennis match, invested in each counterpoint of the teasing and attitude shifts between them both.

"Aky, oen wi 'o ow?"

Marco and Star responded simultaneously.

"Sure."

"What?"

They looked at each other, Star's grimace only growing deeper while Marco stuck his tongue out at her, which was enough to break her resolve. She laughed so unexpectedly it made her snort, and Marco started to snicker at her embarrassment.

Pony Head spit out the scissors. "God you are both so annoying. Can we like, go already?"

"I already said sure," Marco replied smartly, notching a curious brow in her direction. Pony Head rolled her eyes at him as realization spread across Star's face.

"How did you understand her?" Star asked, grabbing the scissors from the ground and tested her grip, testing them in her fingers. Thankfully, they weren't as slimy as they appeared, as unicorn saliva only had positive magical properties.

Marco shrugged and stood up, coming closer to her again and examining the scissors. "I thought it was obvious. Context clues? But seriously, let's go already."

Star pulled the scissors away from his prying eyes, not in the mood for his condescension right now, and turned to her friend. "So, Princess Pony Head, where would you like to go? It's your choice tonight."

The floating head bobbed from side to side for a moment, evidently considering her options, before she twirled in midair and settled on a fierce smile. "Ohhhh girl, you know we gotta hit up The Bounce Lounge."

Star blanched at the suggestion and gulped hard on the lump in her throat. Sneaking away from Earth with _Marco_ and _Pony Head_? To spend the night together _dancing_ at a _club_?

Maybe she hadn't thought this through.

" _Oh_ , ummm, riiiight, The Bounce Lounge…" she fiddled with her fingers, trying to stall, feeling their waiting gazes.

Marco let out a small sigh, not loud enough to draw much attention, and stepped forward. He extended his hand between them and gestured at the scissors. "May I, Princess?"

Star made a face at that his arrogant tone - she still didn't appreciate the nickname - but she could feel herself backpedaling on her promise to Pony. Star needed to do this for her friend, she reminded herself with a clenching of her jaw. This wasn't about her.

"Mmm, fine," Star made her voice begrudging, refusing to sound relieved as Marco slipped the scissors easily into his hands.

"So I just like, cut, up and down, right? I saw Ludo do it," he added when Star raised an eyebrow at him, and Pony Head nodded.

"Yeah, yeah, let's go already. Just focus on 'The Bounce Lounge' in your head - even if you haven't been there, just think about the name, and cut. It should take us there."

Marco didn't respond, instead following Pony Head's directions and cutting a portal in the middle of Star's bedroom in one easy motion. It was actually pretty impressive to watch, Star had to admit, and she felt her mouth open slightly in surprise when he turned around and offered her the scissors again.

The twisting vortex kicked up just the slightest breeze in the still air of her room, causing papers to flutter and the trails of her hairs to dance around her shoulders, and she felt a smile automatically grace her lips as she watched Pony Head whoop in enthusiasm and dive horn-first into the opening.

Accepting the scissors from Marco, Star squeezed them lightly when she met his eyes. There was a simplicity to his gaze in that fleeting moment, a soft mocha that reflected an even more delicate shade of blue under the magical luminescence of the portal that took her by surprise. The ends of his hair, pushed up and away from his face in his sort of permanent bed-head, swayed ever so slightly in the artificial current, casting a tiny set of shadows over his forehead that seemed to dance under the portal light.

Star felt her heartbeat quicken, and she was unsure if her heart marks were fluttering or if the redness that crept into her face had caused her cheeks to prickle ever so slightly.

Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, Star cleared her throat and hurriedly entered the portal, suddenly very interested in the idea of being stuck at The Bounce Lounge and _not_ stuck in her room, alone with him.

* * *

"Damn," Marco said once he stepped out of the portal, blinking repeatedly as his eyes fell over the crowd. It was a cross between a club and a rave, set atop a kingdom of clouds and scuffed tiles. Lights of every shade animated the faces of alien creatures up and down the length of the floor, creating a sort of cacophonous kaleidoscope of sound and sight that pushed his adrenaline up by a few degrees.

"This is _crazy_ , Star," he said, turning only to find no such princess beside him.

Eyes scanning for a floating pink mane or a delicate arrangement of blonde tresses, Marco frowned and skirted around the perimeter, wondering if the portal might have dropped them out at different places. Is that how that works? He really didn't have a frame of reference for this magic stuff.

"Marco, over here!"

He heard Star call for him, but the distortion of sound and light made it difficult to tell from where exactly, but he eventually found a waving thin hand above the heads of a dancing group of humanoids.

Marco made his way around the dancers to find the pair standing (well, one was standing, the other was idly floating) just outside of a photo booth, Star excitedly perusing the buttons and various background settings while Pony Head looked comparatively bored.

Marco jerked his thumb over this shoulder as he came closer, raising his voice over the noise. "Uh, Star? It looks like the party is this way?"

Star didn't look up at first, instead running her index finger down a massive list of photo settings available to the booth, eyes concentrated on the task at hand.

Marco groaned and put a hand on her shoulder to get her attention.

"Star? Did you hear me?"

"...Huh?" The girl exclaimed suddenly, standing up straight and shaking her head. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention. Did you say something?"

He appraised her with a doubtful look, and she rubbed the back of her neck nervously.

" _You_ were the one who called me over here," he pointed out, which only made her appear more nervous.

Eh. If she wanted to talk about it, she could bring it up.

He shrugged to dismiss the subject. "Whatever. I was just saying that the party is this way. Pony Head is already getting into it." Marco pointed behind her, and Star gasped and turned crimson at the sight.

The cotton-candy-colored unicorn head had floated away from their idle chatter, dancing with some strangers, floating and twisting and winning in time with the music. She even got one male-looking creature to get on all fours and started to jockey _him_ like a horse, and even Marco felt a little mortified at the demonstration.

"Huh," he said, shaking his head and rubbing his eyes to dispel the toxic image. Star was covering her mouth with the back of her hand, head bent away in chagrin.

"Pegasus feathers…" she muttered, although Marco wasn't sure if he was supposed to hear that. Was that a Mewnian curse word? The way she said it made it sound like it. The thought made him smirk.

"Well, Princess, we're _here_. Pony Head looks like she's got her own thing going on. Wanna dance?"

"Um!" She squeaked, pupils turned to terrified dots at the thought of going out into the sea of bodies and dancing with him, for more than a handful of reasons.

 _He's a human - he can't just -_ _ **I**_ _can't just_ _ **dance**_ _with him! I don't even know how to dance like this! There are so many people. What if word gets back to Mewni? This was a bad idea. I need to lay low. Oh, corn, what if I lose my wand? What if someone tries to take it! Oh, no, no, what if_ _ **Ludo**_ _shows up? Oh, this is bad, bad, bad. Where are those scissors? Where did I put them? I need to get out of here!_

Marco was watching her expression turn paler under the flashing greens and purples and blues of the party lights, frowning. "Star? You good?"

The princess's eye twitched once, before she blinked repeatedly and grabbed him by the front of his leather jacket. She shook him back and forth before dragging him backwards, into the photo booth.

" _LETS-TAKE-A-PICTURE-TO-REMEMBER-THE-NIGHT-HOW-ABOUT-THAT-THAT-SEEMS-LIKE-A-NICE-IDEA-COME-ON?"_

 _"W-whoa!_ Star, holy shit, calm down!" He yelled when they were behind the curtain, and it felt like they had walked through another portal. Within the tiny booth, a few artificial but standard white-yellow lights shined above a tiny camera embedded in the side paneling, and the compact walls helped block out some of the auxiliary noise. It was still loud, certainly, but the thumping bass felt a little more external to the privacy of the booth.

"I mean, fuck, if you wanted a picture you didn't have to drag me. Watch the threads next time, okay?" Marco brushed off the front of his jacket, refolding the collar to make the leather lay flat.

Star nodded and held her arms across her chest, but the action didn't have any of the usual attitude it did when the princess would reply with a cheeky remark.

Once Marco had readjusted, looking up and running a hand through his hair, he was surprised to find Star shaking like she'd just been pulled from a freezing lake.

"H-hey, whoa, what's going on? Sit," he instructed, kneeling while he gently pushed down on her shoulder, and her knees buckled at the slight touch.

Star was taking short and shallow breaths, eyes scanning the walls of the booth like they were threatening her, and Marco could tell she was starting to panic. He used to have these episodes when he was a little younger, but had thankfully taught himself to grow out of them.

"Okay, Star, look at me. Look at me," he repeated when her eyes flickered forward and away again, placing a hand under her chin and turning her to face him.

"You need to relax, Princess. _Relax_. I didn't suggest 'going out with a bang' so you would be miserable."

"I- I know that," Star replied, panting and closing her eyes, nodding her head. With his hand still against the edge of her face, Marco could tell her breathing started to slow once her eyes were closed, so he withdrew his fingers and waited for her to come back to the present.

After another thirty seconds, he felt a tiny pang of relief when her eyelashes fluttered open and some of the color returned to her face. She cracked a little sheepish grin, and shook her head.

"S-sorry, about that. I'm good now. Just let me nerves get carried away…"

Marco cocked his head to one side, once again struck by the girl's strangeness, and sniggered a little.

"So," he stood up and sat next to her on the bench. "Let me just make sure I got this right. You're a magical princess who can seriously fuck up some bad guys with her wand and spells and shit, and yet, you can't handle a club?"

Star turned to him and opened her mouth, a familiar angry look flashing in her baby blue eyes, and Marco started laughing in earnest.

He held up one finger.

"Just a sec."

Leaning through the velvet curtains, the music thumped loud outside the booth and he scanned the nearby bodies for a familiar flash of blue or pink.

"Ah," Marco breathed when he spotted her, clearing his throat. " ** _HEY, PONY HEAD. C'MHERE_** _."_

When he leaned back into the booth, Star gave him an even more confused glance so he simply shrugged.

"I need to make sure I get a memento for tonight to remember your one true weakness in case I ever end up on the opposite side of that wand: shitty club music and bright lights."

Star rolled her eyes and let her head drop backwards. "Leave it to you to take a nice moment and ruin it by being a jerk."

He flipped the dial on the dashboard to create some stupid backgrounds for the pictures, winking at Star as he settled back. "Mmm. Then, let me make it up to you - I'll let you keep the picture, and we'll call it even. I _do_ look pretty good tonight."

Star didn't have enough time to think of a reply, so she just rolled her eyes when a glittery horn appeared through the curtain. Marco readjusted his shoulders, scooting over as Pony Head floated over and wedged herself into the middle of the frame.

"Aww yeah, maybe you this human aint so baaaaaad after all. He got good taste in picture backgrounds," yelled Pony Head unnecessarily, her hearing temporarily warped from the music outside.

"Oh yeah, I thought this ocean background would _really_ go with your horn." Marco pointed at the screen, and Pony Head's eyes flashed dangerously in the reflection at his sarcasm, so Star leaned over and wrapped her arm around her fellow princess, partially in comfort and partially to hold her back.

"I-I think it looks _lovely_ with your skin tone, Princess Pony Head. Now, smile!"

Gritting her teeth together, Pony Head whispered a deadly promise to her other side.

"You so much as lay a hair on my girl and you gonna get a lot more than a _picture_ of my horn, Earth turd."

Marco scoffed, wrapped his other arm around Pony Head so it laid atop of Star's, a direct violation of the threat he'd just been given. It would take a lot more than a blue, begrudged Princess to scare him.

"I'd like to see you try."

* * *

The trio didn't linger at the club much longer, although Star was nervous to broach the subject with her fellow princess. It was clear Pony was enjoying herself, dancing and getting glitter in strange places all over her mane, but Star's discomfort became worrisome after only another ten minutes.

Much to her relief (and her surprise, if she was being honest), Marco had opted to stay off the dance floor and stand on the outskirts with her. When she questioned his behavior, he responded in typical Marco-fashion.

" _It seemed cool when I got here, but like, the pop-rock-alternative shitty music sorta got on my nerves. Reminds me of someone, actually._ "

Star had punched his shoulder when he wiggled his eyebrows at her, but she let out a good-humored chuckle. He was annoying, but it was sort of endearing, so she let it pass.

After a particularly aggressive techno-sounding song came on, Star started to falter again. She drew in on herself and hung her head, rubbing the arms of her jacket to calm herself. Marco decided to use that moment to see if this club - let alone this dimension - had a restroom, so Star recited spells in her head to try to remain calm.

 _Glitter Whale Battering Ram._

 _Stardust Daisy Devastation._

 _Dagger Crystal Heart Attack._

 _Rainbow Fist Punch._

 _Raspberry Panzerfaust._

 _Mega Narwhal Blast._

 _Spider with a Top-Hat Blast._

 _Warincorn Stampede._

 _Glitter Whale Battering Ram._

 _Stardust Daisy Devastation._

 _..._

"Aye, girl!"

Star snapped out of her private lesson and shook her head, trying to focus on whoever had called, but it didn't take her long. A sweaty, ecstatic-looking Pony Head floated over the crowd and came to hover in front of her, and her smile faded when she noticed the stress on Star's face.

"You good? Did that Earth turd do something to you?" She narrowed her eyes, looking around the immediate vicinity of the club with a distrustful glare.

"What? No, Princess Pony Head! Marco just went to find the bathroom." Star laughed a little too forcefully, trying not to worry her friend and let her enjoy the night.

Pony Head's expression changed, although Star found it rather hard to read - somewhere between annoyed and excited, maybe? That's sort of how Princess Pony Head always looked, though.

"I wish it was just you and me tonight, B-Fly. It's better when it's just us! C'mon, there are some cute boys in the crowd," she grinned suggestively, and Star blushed just at the inflection in her friend's voice.

"N-no, thank you," she stammered, putting her hands up defensively.

As if on cue, Pony Head glowered when a familiar, unwelcome face appeared beside Star and swung and arm over her shoulder. Star stiffened slightly at the unexpected proximity and peeked up at Marco's sudden appearance. He had a wicked grin lining his cheeks, and he scratched at his unshaven chin with his other hand.

There was that arrogance of his again, Star noted wryly, and it appeared that Pony Head noticed to.

"Ladies," Marco greeted nonchalantly.

"Oh you are just _pushing_ it," Pony Head replied and moved behind Star, urging her towards the club floor.

"If we're being honest, it looks like _you're_ the one pushing _Star_ ," Marco's face was animated under the unnatural club lighting, and he looked awfully proud of himself for getting on Pony Head's nerves. If Star wasn't so stressed, she might find their bickering comical, but right now it was just making her want to tug at her hair.

" _I'm_ trying to help _my_ bestie have a good time," Pony Head said with a hard glare. "Why don't you go back to Earth where you _belong_?"

Marco snorted and crossed his arms, a knowing look plastered across his face. "Hey, I was having a fine time at home - _you_ brought some thugs into my dimension because you fucked up. I'm here to make sure Star's okay," he paused to loop an arm around Star's waist, earning him a squeak.

The blonde inhaled a sharp breath, feeling like she was going to pass out as Marco and Pony's body language started to become even more hostile, leaning forward with distrust. She needed to find her voice, but it was scattered somewhere along the cheap club tiles, along with her confidence. In a way, she was actually glad for Marco having slipped his arm around her, because it was helping to steady her wobbly legs.

Pony Head's eye twitched in obvious annoyance, and they all flinched when she started to roar with laughter. "Man, _you_ have got some baaaaaaad anger problems, Earth turd. Calm down, why don't ya? We were supposed to be having a good time, and you seem to be the one ruining it."

Star felt Marco's grip loosen on her hip, and for some reason, she was sad for the absence there. He stepped towards Pony Head with an absolutely devilish grin, looking like a bad actor in a worse movie.

"Oh, is someone _mad_ because I _ruined_ her time out with her _bestie_?" His voice was full of mock hurt, and Pony Head started to float away before she did something she would regret.

Star shook her head, trying to come back to the argument and try to recover her friend's from getting even more angry, but Marco wasn't quite finished.

"Cry me a fucking river, _PH_."

In retrospect, Star should have found it funny for how mean they were just being for the nickname, of all things, to be the straw that broke the warnicorn's back, but the thought was as mirthless to her now as it was when Marco spat the words at Pony Head's receding form.

The blue and clearly bridled princess whipped around, nostrils flaring and got very close to Marco, horn pointed dangerously close to his jugular.

He didn't even flinch.

Which was just fine, as it happened, as Star winced enough for the both of them.

Gaping in fear, she moved slightly between them with her back to Marco, looking at Pony Head with pleading eyes.

"P-Pony!" Star all but cried, her hands shaking. "D-Don't let him get to you, he's just _like_ that."

Her eyes turned to slits, glaring at Marco over Star's shoulder, and he raised a condescending eyebrow at the floating princess. She huffed angrily and pulled back her horn, but the scowl on her face did not lessen by any degrees.

"Star. Talk. Now." She gestured towards a corner away from Marco, and he rolled his eyes and walked off in the other direction. Star bit her lip as he disappeared, but conceded to follow her friend and try not to make things worse.

"Okay, you gotta be real with me. I came here tonight to hang out with _you_ , and this random guy? I get that he's your new roomate or whatever, but he is a total jerk. Like, why are you even friends with him? He's selfish and, not trying to, like, make it weird, but he's also _all_ over you."

Star's pupils went wide, and she immediately started to shake her head from side-to-side. "N-no! Princess Pony Head, y-you've got it wrong! He, i-isn't, um, _I'm_ n-not… He's a nice guy, under the act! I promise!"

Her friend did not look convinced, her lips pressed together into a thin line.

"I think it's just, um… the…" Star sputtered, although a tiny voice in her head wasn't sure why she was defending him so strongly. Why couldn't he just be as sweet to everyone as he was when they were alone together? She had to swallow the urge to sigh.

"It's… the c-club! Yeah, it's just, not Marco's thing! And honestly, Pony, it's not really my thing either. I just wanted you to have a special night." Star admitted the last part somewhat shyly, hanging her head and feeling that same sense of guilt bubbling up in her stomach at the words left unsaid.

 _Because, who knows what will happen once you're sent to St. O's…_

Pony Head gave Star a long look, eyeing her friend's apologetic body language and even more apologetic voice before ultimately sighing dramatically.

" _Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine_ , B-Fly, but only because you're my bestie. We can ditch this joint. How 'bout the Amethyst Arcade?"

Star's face lit up almost immediately, the easy smile across her face spreading even wider when she saw Pony Head's dramatic eye roll, but Star knew it was good-humored.

"Really? Oh, Pony, you're my, um, 'bestie,' too." Star tentatively opened her arms and Pony Head nuzzled into her hold, and the pair nodded determinedly.

"Okay. Let's just find Marco, and we'll go." Star measured her friend's reaction, and was impressed by her composure.

"Eh," she performed the equivalent of a bodyless shrug, scrunching up her neck and lopping her head slightly to one side. "I mean, like, I guess I can sometimes be a _little_ harsh to people too, especially when they're around you. But if you trust him, I'll give him a second chance... but _only_ 'cause of you, girl."


	11. The Amethyst Arcade

This dimensional travel thing was a little disorienting, if Marco was being honest. There wasn't a clear sense of time that went with their destinations. No clocks, no visible sun or stars, no clear or measurable way to tell how long they had been gone.

The Bounce Lounge was dark, lit only by the club lights and glowsticks. It _felt_ like they had only been at the club for thirty minutes, but it wasn't clear if time was even moving at the same pace on Earth as things did here. No way to be sure, and normally, he wouldn't care. But Star had school tomorrow.

Well, they _both_ did, but his attendance mattered far less than hers. She had respectability and the pressure of her parents and blah blah _blah_ to keep up with, and he could tell by the strained look in her eyes when she found him that she was already growing tired.

He had decided to rest at the edge of one of the clouds, looking at the proverbial death trap that was below. It was pretty clear you were fucked for good if you danced off the edge of the impossible floating terrace. He couldn't decide if the display was amusing or mortifying. Mewni, Star had mentioned, was a little more _intense_ than Earth - the ivory bones of long-dead dancers in the spiked cavern below was evidence enough of that.

 _What a way to go,_ he mused, thinking of the irony of trying to have a night out to celebrate and comically dropping dead.

"Oh, there you are."

It was Star, clearly, her voice a soft sigh of comfort over the oppressive false lights and smell of sweat and ethanol. And if that hadn't been a giveaway, she called his name a moment later; the only other person who knew his name here probably had a lot more _colorful_ words for him in mind.

"Marco," Star clicked her tongue at his shoulder, looking over the edge and his legs dangling over the side. "That's really dangerous, you know. People have died here."

"I can see that, Princess," he replied, the smile in his voice obvious. "They don't clean up the remains, unless that's part of the vibe they're going for," he pointed over at a skeleton giving them a thumbs-up, and Star made a retching sound that was totally unrefined.

Marco looked up at her properly to see she was smiling, too, that softness returned to her cream-colored skin. She was endlessly interesting, continuing to take him by surprise.

"Where's PH?" He said without thinking, and he regretted asking it almost immediately. The easy grin slid right off her face, replaced by an irritated scowl as she put a hand at her hip and directed her attention at her purse.

She dug for a moment and reclaimed the scissors from earlier, keeping her attention on the blade and trying to forget the mesmerizing way he looked back in her room after handing those same scissors back to her.

"She's getting some guys number," Star paused to roll her eyes, which Marco found amusing. "And then we're going to the Amethyst Arcade. But you really shouldn't have treated her like that, you know? I don't think she cares for the nickname."

Marco stretched his arms over his head and stood up, placing a fist over his heart. "Oh, no, her feelings _were_ hurt. Whatever shall we do?"

That earned him a warning look from Star, whose expression hardened considerably. "Seriously. That's not funny, Marco."

He met her stare just as strongly. "I wasn't trying to be funny. She's got an attitude problem."

That made Star snort, and Marco felt himself pink a little around the nose.

"Yeah," she commented. "Like _you're_ one to talk about _attitude_."

He crossed his arms and looked away, pretending to be offended. "Oh, Princess, you injure me with your words."

" _Marco_ ," she whined when she spotted a floating streak of blue come nearer. Star moved a little closer so she could speak more quietly, and he peeked through one eye at her pretty bluebell ones, staring up at him, pleading.

"Please, just be a _little_ nicer to her? She's my friend, and this night is supposed to her… what did you call it, 'big blow out'? I want you to get along. Please?"

Marco felt the corner of his mouth twitch, but he only offered a sigh and a curt not. He couldn't go and give her the satisfaction of knowing he would do damn near _anything_ she asked if she was going to bore into his soul with those doe-eyes, blue and sparkling. He definitely wasn't blushing. Nope. Definitely not.

The trio united a moment later, and urged by Star, made half-hearted apologies. Marco could hardly hear Pony Head over the pounding bass, but he really didn't care what she said anyways. Star seemed satisfied, and with a blinding smile, she snipped a portal and gestured for them to follow.

"Ah, here we go," Star walked out of the swirling light, shaking off the feeling of viscus liquid on her. Portal hopping was a strange experience, like walking through a thick mist without really getting wet.

Gesturing widely with her arms, she completed the effect as she sewed shut their entrance.

"The Amethyst Arcade!"

If she was being truthful, there was a proud bit of smugness that she rather enjoyed, watching the adoration flash on Marco's face. His typical scowl had been substituted with wide eyes, studying the thousands of games that expanded out in endless rows around them.

"Holy… _wow…_ "

Pony Head snorted and nudged him, leading a path into the arcade. "That's the first sentence I think I've heard you _not_ swear, and it was like, the _one_ time it would have been appropriate."

Marco let the comment pass, instead scratching his chin and letting his legs glide to the nearest machine, looking around for a coin slot.

"How do we pay?" Marco asked, realizing how foreign the notion sounded coming off his lips. He hasn't paid to play an arcade game in at least five years. Did they need to pre-register or something? He was only 14 and yet he felt he tragically couldn't keep up with the times.

"Oh, these games are free," Star chimed over her shoulder, trailing behind Pony Head who was gliding around with her eyes narrowed.

" _Free_ …" he whispered, grin breaking like the dawn across his face.

Marco let the girls wander off shortly thereafter, getting entirely too engrossed himself in a fighting simulation game, themed around jousting and Arthurian legends. He at least had the courtesy to offer Star or Pony Head to play, but they seemed more interested in chattering and getting something to eat, so he shrugged and let them go.

It didn't take long for people to start placing their drinks on the dashboard, a signal he took to be ubiquitous across dimensions. On Earth, you place a token or quarter to indicate you're next - in a game like this, it meant someone wanted to try to take him on.

Now _this_ he could get used to.

* * *

"Ooh, B-Fly, let's play this game," Pony Head chirped around the corner from the concessions, abandoning the interest of waiting for food only _after_ they were insight of the menus.

That was sort of irritating - now that the food was nearby, it made Star want it even _more_.

"Mmm, it's got a one-player option - why don't you play, and I'll get us some snacks? I'm sort of hungry." Star smiled sheepishly, resting a hand on her stomach.

Pony Head blew a raspberry, however, and flew after her and floated next to the short concessions line. "Meh, it's not worth playing alone. _I_ wouldn't ditch you for a video game."

Star played with her thumbs and looked down at her shoes. She wasn't sure how to respond, but clear that the undertone was directed at Marco's absence. Pony had called him selfish at the Bounce Lounge, but she had been angry and annoyed at the time; surely that was just a mindless insult, right? Marco wasn't really selfish – he had come along with them, after all.

She needed to nip this notion in the bud before it damaged Pony Head's perspective of him further. If they could all be friends, things would be so much easier.

"Hey, um, Princess Pony Head?" Star started politely, not meeting her eyes.

A tickle of pink mane danced along her hand when the princess turned to look at her, and Star leaned away out of habit.

"Hmm?"

"Did you… um, about Marco..." Star hesitated, not wanting to ruin her friend's night even further. It was supposed to be fun, but it felt like a de facto failure since they already ducked out of Pony's favorite place in the multiverse. Now it was just trying to make it fail _less_.

"Um… did you mean what you said about Marco?"

Pony Head rolled her eyes. "About him being all over you? Yeah. No one is that touchy with someone they're not trying to get busy with."

Star's mouth popped open to a comical little 'o' as she realized the words permeated the air between them. Her face flushed crimson, burning her heartmarks and extending all the way to her ears. She immediately hid her face in her hands, mortified at the thought, and she urgently began to backtrack.

"I u-uh, no! I u-m meant, you know - h-him being a _j-j-jerk_ , and self-selfish. N-not that I th-think he is, and he wasn't, _w-wasn't_ all _over_ me, I, that's um, so _n-no_ , you know, nevermind. Nevermind!"

Pony Head was quiet for a moment, though with Star's heart pounding in her ears, it felt like they were locked in a stare for a century. Mercifully, her friend started to giggle and winnie at her, and Star at least had the decency to be indignant. Her best friend was going to capitalize on her obvious social faux pas? A retort was starting to form on her lips, but seeing her friend smile and giggle so genuinely for the first time all night was too pure to ruin. Instead, Star allowed herself to be swept away with her own laughter, buckling over and grabbing at her ribs to calm the stitches that tickled her sides.

They had reached the front of the line by the time their chortling subsided, accepting some variety of salty and sweet snacks and headed back in the direction of the game Pony Head had tried to convince her to play.

Abruptly, the floating princess turned to Star with a knowing grin. " _So_ , have you heard from _Tom_ , lately?"

Star felt her breath catch at the mention of the prince of the underworld, almost dropping the bag of candy she was holding.

" _N-no_ ," Star stammered, trying to focus on the selection of a video game suitable for them. It suddenly felt like the most important task in the world.

Pony Head was one of the few friends she trusted with the knowledge of her crush on Tom Lucitor, and she intended to keep it that way if she could. The boy was handsome and had grown into a proper gentleman over the years, though their interactions were usually shy glances and polite dances at the Silver Bell Ball and the occasional diplomatic event. Flying King Pony Head and Madam Lucitor were somewhat close, so Pony Head was always trying to capture any sort of insider knowledge she could and pass it along to Star. On more than one occasion, Pony Head had tried to point out that beneath the persona he's got some, apparently, unresolved anger issues, but Star felt that sort of judgement was unfair. He had never treated her rudely, so perhaps Pony Head was being protective and misguided in the same way she was with Marco.

"Hmm, I wonder if we should see if he's free tonight," Pony Head hummed easily, and the sound that escaped through Star's nervously chattering teeth was discernibly not Mewman, nor even human. Frankly, it sounded like a mouse that had tried to _quack_ like a duck, and it only made Star feel even more embarrassed.

" _N-O_ way, Princess Pony Head! He would think this is totally lame. T-this is supposed to be about you, anyways!"

"Mmm," her friend replied mysteriously, and the strange questioning and vague answers were seriously starting to get on Star's nerves. Why would she tease her like that, just to bother her?

Speaking of things that bother her…

Star slowed her walk and pivoted, facing a row of machines that would lead them back towards the entrance. There was a clear frown pulling at the corners of her lips.

"Maybe we should check on Marco… I feel bad, he's the new one to dimensional travel. We should make sure he's okay."

"Girl," Pony shook her head from side-to-side. "At least play a _few_ games with me. If that Earth turd isn't all talk, then he should be fine for five minutes without you."

Star nervously stuffed her face with a few more snacks, eyeing the rows of games towards the entrance, but let herself be pushed the opposite way towards _Extreme Cake Icing Ice-Skating_. It was an old favorite of hers, so Pony Head didn't have to work too hard to convince her.

The "controllers" were piping bags, and the goal was to try to skate your avatar around an ice rink, frosting and decorating as many cakes as quickly as possible before time runs out. Hindsight is, as they say, twenty-twenty, and Star couldn't help but wonder who had come up with the premise of this game. Because boy, they were _genius_.

"Yes! Yes, yes!" Star held the player one bag above her head and shook her hair back in forth, relishing the bold red letters on the screen.

 _PLAYER ONE (S T A R) IS SWEET!_

 _BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME, PLAYER 2._

"I need to recruit the maker of this game," Star laughed as she put down her bag, enjoying Pony Head's slightly pouty bad-loser-attitude. They had been friends long enough for Star to know the flying princess wouldn't take it personally and just try to get her back twice as hard in the next game, so some post-game teasing was a welcome chance for Star to let out some of her less-than-dignified ideas.

"If we had a mind like this in the castle, think how quickly we could get food out from the kitchens! Everyone on ice skates instead of shoes. Could you imagine?"

The pink-haired presence laughed as they moved down another row of games. "I could imagine you fallin' on your butt a few dozen times, yeah,"

"Hey!" Star turned her nose up and away. "I'm an excellent skater, thank you."

"Virtual skating is a little easier than the real thing."

"And how would you know?" Star realized she had started to bounce her brows to challenge her friend, and almost gasped. That was a direct reflection of Marco's influence, and she rearranged her face to a more fitting poise.

Pony Head, thankfully, didn't notice anything awry. She gasped in false-offense, nudging Star's shoulder. "If that's a jab at me not having legs, that's _low_ girl! You baaaaad."

A tint of pink blush crept around her cheeks, unsure if she was feeling pride or shame at Pony Head's response. Curse that boy. Star needed to keep her manners in better check.

They approached another game, a more standard fighting-style simulation where each girl controlled a different icon. Star chose the Elf Queen, appreciating her long white tresses with a crown of thorns and her fierce, confident eyes. Pony Head had a difficult time settling between Yula the Rage, a barbarian looking woman with bulging muscles and bright red hair or Tyhin, some sort of swordsman with a blindfold and high defense. She ultimately settled on Yula, with a passing comment on the sanctity of a _girl's_ night out, which Star chose not to comment on.

During their second round of play, Pony Head undoubtedly thrashing her the first time, Star started to find her mind wandering. Stifling coals of guilt sunk in her stomach, causing her to feel hot and uncomfortable. Marco was okay, right? Pony Head seemed sure that he could handle himself, and he didn't make a big deal of them leaving. She was overthinking things. Nothing to worry about.

As an attempt for distraction, Star blurted out a random thought. "Sooo… what did you _do_ , Princess Pony Head? I mean, if you don't mind…"

Her friend took a second to respond, trying and failing to execute a combo. Star went on the offensive in response.

"Uhh… oh, you mean, to get sent to St. O's?"

"Yeah." Block, dodge, deflect. Star was catching up.

"Hmm," Pony Head responded slowly, focus drawn on regaining ground with their dueling forces. Yula the Rage, at half health, went into a frenzy befitting her name. "Aw, yeah, _rage_ time!"

Star quipped right back. "Oooh, but that means you're at half health!"

Her friend scowled in focus, but returned to the conversation. "I kept sneaking off dimension, going to the Bounce Lounge and stuff. How else do you think I get as many ex's as I do?"

That made Star bark a laugh, knowing it wasn't a very becoming sound but not particularly minding her manners at that moment. It was easy to get caught up in the competition.

"That's a fair point! But did the King and Queen just get fed up? Or was there like, a tipping point?"

Pony Head hummed for a moment, trying to pull off a defensive parry. It failed, and Star landed an expertly executed thorny uppercut. "Yeah, I started sneakin' out of the castle during important dinners for my sisters and diplomats and whatever. I got my scissors confiscated and junk, but it ain't my fault boys are always falling in love with me!"

The princess whipped her pink mane around and Star giggled when it brushed the blonde hairs on her arm, but didn't let it phase her progress.

"Ooooh, here… _Yes!_ Boom!" Star practically threw down her controller in excitement, landing a fatal blow against Yula in the game. The Elf Queen bowed elegantly, straightened her crown, and ripped the head off her opponent. Star watched the victory display with dazzling eyes, her heart marks temporarily flashing into tiny trophies.

"Geez," Pony Head commented, admiring Star's win. "I forgot how violent this game was. But you whooped me, girl. Best two out of three?"

"Bring it on," Star replied, queuing up the final round.


	12. Me?

Marco crossed his arms and leaned against an out-of-service machine, giving the sign above a quick glance.

" _Battleship Nuclear TeamTactics Ultimate?_ Too bad."

Pulling out his lighter, he played with the flame, clicking and reigniting the sparks repeatedly to pass the time. He was standing perhaps fifteen feet from Star and Pony Head, but they had their backs to him, and they seemed to be really, _really_ into whatever game they were playing. From here, it looked like his PlaySituation game _Ketten_ , but more fantasy-themed?

If he cared enough, he could have just read the sign posted above them, but his focus was ebbing and flowing, lingering around a head of blonde hair.

Star was almost ridiculously enthusiastic, so much that it was entertaining - her arms were animated with each swipe her character took, she bounced on her heels to emphasize her attempt at defense, her hair and ribbons were caught in a salsa with each twist and turn of her body. Her skirt fluttered, her shoes tapped, and even the occasional catch in her voice was saccharin music to his ears.

What was his _problem_ with this girl?

He chalked it up to two things, very aware of his own spreading grin as he observed the princesses. Star had just finished tearing Pony apart, ending their match. By the sounds of it, they were going for another round, so he continued to click his lighter and wait.

First of all, Star was pretty.

Really pretty.

He would be stupid if he tried to deny it - for fuck's sake, he's a fourteen-year-old boy, and a girl his age with Star's physical attributes was basically the definition of something to look at. If he _didn't_ find her attractive, that would have been cause for concern: petite but athletic, flowing, silky hair, porcelain skin with curving, soft features? She was a daydream in a dress, red ribbons the metaphorical-cherry-on-top of her overall annoying beauty.

There were prettier girls, sure, but Marco didn't really bother with relationships since he and Jackie broke up. _Not_ that he was thinking of about the prospect of he and Star in any sort of relationship - that's not what this was about. Women in general, he mused, were just too complicated and sensitive for him to waste his time with. Janna was tolerable only because she hardly acted like a woman at all.

Star was not like Janna, but then, Star was not like _anybody_. That's what was so… mystifying about her, he concluded. She was something to unravel, like a spool of thread that refused to end. Complex. Nuanced. Irritating, sure, but _interesting_.

With a small exhale, he clicked his combustible toy closed for the time being and pulled his phone out of his pocket. What Marco was expecting to do with no service in a different dimension was beyond even his reasoning, but he simply didn't like the feeling of absence in his hands. It felt right just to have some sort of distraction available, even if served no real utility.

Within sixty-seconds, a voice chimed and started coming closer, but he pretended not to hear.

"Marco!" Star called, and he hated how good the syllables sounded falling from her tongue. He _really_ needed to get a grip.

"Marrrrrr-coooo," it sang again, closer and expectant. He sighed and slid his phone back into his pocket, crossed his arms, and finally looked up. His face was the definition of unamused.

"Me?" His pseudo-innoence earned him a punch on the arm, and damn, it actually sort of hurt. Star was stronger than her appearance let on. Is it bad that he sort of liked that?

"Were you watching? Did you see that move I pulled off? Oh, man, I won. Won won won. _I_ wooooon," she danced on her toes, hopping back and forth and even spinning at the end.

He chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. "Wow, are you always this excited playing video games? Or have you just _never_ won _anything_ before? Not that I'd be surprised."

"Marco!" She froze in place, annoyance flashing in her bluebell eyes.

With a wicked grin, he repeated his same innocuous question. "Me?"

"Mother of Mewni, you're intolerable sometimes, you know that?" Star tittered, smirking in spite of her words. Marco made a demonstration of adjusting his gloves, trying to hide his proud grin. He definitely hated how much he loved making her laugh. Ugh.

After masking his expression again, Marco looked around past Star's shoulder. "Where's Pony Head?"

"Loser had to buy ice cream," she resumed her victory dancing momentarily, ending with a pose bearing a comically close resemblance to disco. Marco had seen his parents "moves" from that era, and he would rather sooner forget.

Chuckling, he fixed his posture from the machine and looked up and down the aisles. "Well, this is a great chance for us to play something. Someone needs to wipe that terrible smug look off your face."

Shoulders falling, Star's nose scrunched up at the mock-insult, but it quickly blossomed into an absolutely evil look. "Oh, Diaz, you're going to rue the day you said that."

He ignored her, walking towards a random row of machines. "Let's see, given that I'm the newbie, I feel it's only fair I get to pick."

"Fair…" Star hummed. "Sure, you could probably use the handicap. I wouldn't want to embarrass you."

"I like this side of you, Princess," he teased, throwing an arm over her shoulder as he led her past games of every variety. For as many as Marco recognized, there were at least a dozen he didn't know how to make heads-or-tales of. Fighting, puzzle-solvers, shooters, racing, push-your-luck, and even some sort of virtual reality type simulations were familiar enough, but mostly, they passed something-or-others that were clearly magical and not particularly inviting to someone without experience. Star tried to untangle herself from his arm, but without focusing on her path and a little flustered by his (lack of) tact, she only managed to trip over his shoes and braced for impact as the crisp lavender tiles rushed up to greet her.

Grateful for his martial arts reflexes, Marco managed to grab her hand and steady her, but the sudden flux from vertical-horizontal-vertical gave them both a bit of a head rush. Instead of solid floor, Star's face was pressed into a warm, indulgent sort of pillow - the kind that gave your neck _just_ the right amount of support. Comfortable, but not too rigid; it didn't yield to the weight of her head, but it dipped slightly to accommodate her. It was soft and sturdy, somehow, at the same time.

With a breath of relief, Star shook her head shyly and apologized, one hand pushing against the cushions that caught her and the other peering around, trying to understand how her fall had been so forgiving. It smelled familiar, like a summer rain mixed with that horrible cigarette flavor.

Actually, it sort of smelled like Marco.

Upon looking up, her breath hitched and face bloomed into a color that would put Pony's mane to shame. She made some sound that sounded like a name, but it died halfway out of her mouth.

"Mah!?"

And true to form, Marco was there, but he didn't seem to even notice Star's embarrassment. His posture was positively rigid, one arm on her shoulder while the other held her hand. If anyone noticed, it might even look like they were about to slow dance, Star tucked all the way up against his chest, blushing cheek squished into his torso.

They weren't.

Marco saw something, black and masked and familiar.

"Star," his voice was quiet, and in a rush of instincts started to move them in the opposite direction, lowering them to a crouch behind a pair of magical jet skis. The girl had turned to putty in his hands, being guided and positioned without a word or even flicker of focus in her eyes.

Marco snapped his fingers in front of her, stone faced when her vision finally found his face. " _Star_."

Almost dreamily, she fluttered her lashes and shook her head. "Hmm?"

"The guards - from St. Olin's - "

"Olga's," Star interrupted, still looking like she had been electrocuted.

Marco grit his teeth, for his own sanity.

"Sure, fuck, _Olga's_ , whatever. They're here. I don't think they saw us, but they're _definitely_ here and they were on a mission."

Finally, the words were the cold splash of water on her face that brought her back, and Star's usually easy smile twisted into a fearful gasp.

"Oh, no, no no no. Pony's out there alone! They can't just take her, not like this -"

She started to rise from their spot on the ground, but Marco snapped up her wrist. "...Star, she has to go eventually. You said it yourself."

They exchanged a heavy glance, but Star wrenched her arm away. "I know! I know, but she can't go like _this_. We have to at least let her get home. Please, Marco, just let me do this."

Leaning his head back on his shoulders, Marco closed his eyes and prayed for patience. "Jesus fucking christ, and you call _me_ intolerable."

Star narrowed her eyes and spun away, bolting in the other direction before Marco even had time to react.

"What do you even expect - _Star_?" When he opened his eyes and found himself alone, Marco ground his molars together and spat a few curses at his feet.

Instincts moved his legs automatically, back towards the spot he had seen the bulky masked figures before and started a blind pursuit. Under his breath, Marco muttered a few color words of disbelief, something about impulsive women and the irony that _he_ was somehow being forced to be the responsible one.

"Pony?" Star called, cupping her hands together in a futile hope to amplify her voice. She could use her wand to boom above the crowds if she really wanted to, but the risk of finding Pony _and_ leading the guards right to them was too great. Instead, she took to leaping over squares and ducking under tall beasts, swinging across the tops of some machines and scanning the aisles endlessly for blue and pink. Which concession stand would she have gone to? What was her favorite flavor of ice cream? Where did they even sell ice cream? Why didn't she keep them all together? Was it rude to run away from Marco like that? How was she supposed to do this without a map?

"Princess Pony Head… c'mon, where are you…" Star bit her lip and stopped atop a machine in the shape of a large crown, and pulling out her compact mirror and dialing

"Pony Head, Pony Head, Pony Head…"

While it rang, Star let her focus drift over the surroundings. Amaranthine streaks of light dotted the ceiling and reflected against the light floors, giving the whole dreamscape of an arcade a sort of an ethereal glow, like a cavern that was illuminated from within. It was wondrous, almost soft around the edges, and the masque of purple light subdued all colors to an extent. Usually, Star loved the amethyst filter that gave the dimension its name, but it also made spotting pink or blue a challenge from afar.

Star chewed on her lower lip, feeling the anxiety tickle her spine when she was struck with Pony Head's voicemail.

"Where _is_ she…" Star groaned, flipped the mirror closed.

"Star?"

Some royal stroke of luck in the universe answered her question, and when the princess whipped herself around on the spot, she felt the smile break on her face like a dawn on an endless solstice.

"Oh, _PONY_!" Star leapt from the machine and all but tackled her fellow princess, knocking all of the ice cream onto the ground and, by some miracle, avoided skewering herself on the unicorn's horn.

"Whoooooa, Star," Pony replied, feeling her weight dragged down to the Mewman's height, being pressed into her friend's chest. "What the heckie is going on with you, girl?"

Too enthused for her own good, Star just nuzzled herself into her friend's mane. "I was so worried! Oh, I shouldn't have sent you out alone, and those _guards_! They were black and scary and mean, but then I fell and didn't even see which way they went - that's when Marco caught…"

Jerking the appropriately confused princess away, Star's eyes turned to disks.

"What? They're here?! What about Earth turd? Did he ditch again?"

"Ah, um. No - no, well, not _exactly_ …" Star suddenly found her thumbs very interesting, focusing all of her attention on the curve of her fingers rather than her friend's accusatory gaze.

Pony Head scowled. " _Star_ …"

"I might have… run away looking for you…?"

They were silent for a moment, and Pony Head's eye twitched.

"So... you found me, and left behind that Earth turd. The non-magical, jerk, from a different dimension Earth turd who is just looking for a fight. And he probably went looking for the guards, because he thinks that's where _you_ are. Right?"

Star cupped each of her cheeks, giving gravity a hand as she pulled down her face in misery. "Nooo…."

"Girl," Pony huffed. "You know, you my bestie and I love you and whatever, but like, I am trying _really hard_ to hate this boy out of principal, but like, those guards could kill him."

"Oh, Princess Pony Head what do we _do_?" Star grabbed some of her own hair and tugged it over her face, trying to hide her burning blush and genuine concern.

"I mean, I dunno, I'm glad you wanted to protect me and all, but maybe don't run away next time your boyfriend tries to help you?"

Star flinched away as if Pony had hit her. " _Pony! Be serious!_ He's _not_ my boyfriend!"

Her friend snorted and floated the other direction. "Let's just find him and get out of here, okay?"

Nodding at the floor, Star stalked behind her in a quivering state - angry, afraid, annoyed. And those were just the A's of this nightmare of an evening that would just not end.

"I'm going to kill her."

Marco trudged up and down the aisles, trying to keep a clear line of sight with the concessions at all times while he hunted for two princesses in a totally foreign dimension, with the interdimensional equivalent of cops doing the exact same thing somewhere in the vicinity. Were there multiple food vendors? Did they sell different things? He had no clue, but a "central operation" seemed to be a good place to start if he had any hope of finding anyone- getting more lost wasn't going to help anybody.

The flatfoots, Marco guessed, were probably far superior at tracking than he was if they had managed to follow them from dimension to dimension without issue. He _could_ just try to find the guards - huge and raven-colored, they wouldn't be that hard to spot in this sea of squares and pastel purple if he started looking. And if he found them, they would eventually lead him to the girls. But did he want to be the last one the scene?

Marco took out his lighter and lit up a smoke, trying to dispel the urge to punch the shit out of the next person he saw. There hadn't been any signs forbidding it, and frankly, he couldn't care less about rules right now.

Oh boy, was Star going to have it when he found her. They wouldn't even be able to haul her ass off to princess-jail when he was done with her, cause he was going to throttle the life from the girl's stupid blue-eyed face.

They could fuckin' grab up Pony Head right this minute and he wouldn't bat an eye, but these guys seemed boorish. Would they just take Star too? Would she get punished and forced to go back to Mewni? His parents would slap the blame onto him for being a bad influence, sashaying her around after curfew. Yeah. Like this was his fucking fault.

His inhales couldn't burn hot enough, and even as the edge lessened from his pounding headache, it didn't do much to still the panic _pop_ to each of his steps along the lanes of machines. For a place that was made to be fun and games, this place was very quickly jumping the list to the worst part of the universe he's ever been to. Which is saying something, because the Bounce Lounge was a fucking joke, and Earth was a shit show.

 _Goddamnit. God. Fucking. Damnit._

Marco was very angry.

So angry, in fact, Marco didn't even realize he found the shadowy constable's until he was standing in front of them. Blinking a few times, he cocked his head to the side, and they mirrored him.

"You," one of them pointed at him, and their voices sounded strangely robotic. Marco had been expecting more… alien, gurgling, like Ludo's monsters.

"Me." Marco agreed, ashing part of his cigarette to the side. There was no sign of either princess, so he felt the tension in his shoulders unwind marginally. Instead, the pressure found his fist, and he enjoyed the tightening of his glove along his knuckles.

"You are the human traveling with the Flying Princess Pony Head?"

"Mmm," he dragged the smoke again, enjoying the impatience of their stomping heels. "Maybe."

The black husks of humanoids turned to each other, faces unreadable with their masks. Up close, Marco noted that they very well might be robots after all - their exteriors were polished like metal and shimmered every so slightly under the amethyst lights. Their shoulders were hunched high along their torso, almost eliminating the need for a neck. With their long arms that tapered towards their hips and short legs, both of them had a sort of conical shape. Like a weirdly short Michael Phelpps, maybe? But if his body was molded from obsidian and his chests and upper backs puffed outwards from their body. Yeah. Puffed-out, Caged-faced, Iron-Wrought Michael Phelpps.

One stood further from the other, and with a nod, instructed the other with two words.

"Grab him."

A (perhaps literal) iron grip reached for his shoulder, and Marco couldn't help but scoff.

"God, you fucks are so predictable."

Without so much as removing his cigarette from his lips, Marco fell to a squat and used a hand to counterbalance his weight. A swift leg shot out and aimed for the ramrod straight shins ahead of him, and sent the thing falling face-forward towards him. Expectant, Marco had pivoted upwards with his hand and foot as leverage, and greeted the metal watchman with a knee into its mask.

Groaning, Marco hopped back and exhaled the smoke he had been holding in, annoyed to find that he had been right. They were, indeed, made of something like metal, so the retaliatory action majorly fucked his knee. It was like he decided to skid his jeans across some rivets in the ground and felt his skin catch on each exposed screw and bolt.

The pain wasn't wasted, however, and the mask crackled and sparked violently when the guard reared upright. His whole countenance was entirely smashed inwards, and a moderately amused part of Marco's brain recalled his _Ketten_ game, the way character's would make craters in the earth if thrown just right.

A storm of sparks erupted from his opposite's face hole as it stirred, clearly angry. Marco winced through a shot of pain and flung himself forward, sliding between a pair of inanimate legs. They had clearly not expected him to fight back, so he needed to take advantage of their mutual shock before they used their size to their advantage.

Grabbing the bot by the back of its shirt - which was weird, he noted, because these things were _definitely_ wearing ruddy brown suits over their black bodies - Marco bent forward and lowered his center of gravity, using his back as a vaulting platform to roll the guard forward and smack him right into his buddy.

It wasn't going to put them out of commission, he guessed, but it was enough to give him a chance to catch up with the girls.

A final drag from his cigarette, Marco exhaled a short "fuck you," and flicked the bud at them before bolting in the other direction.


	13. Game Over

Star gripped her wand tightly between her clammy fingers, trailing after Princess Pony Head. They had gone up and down a dozen aisles and hadn't found either Marco or the guards, and the stress was starting to make its way from a racing heart to a muttering tongue.

"Why did I agree to this, this was a bad idea, oh no, Pony, _Marco_ , Pony, " she muttered, glancing around with worry.

"Could you, like, stop that?" Pony halted to look at her momentarily. "You've got your wand, and I'm not tryin to brag or nothing, but like, I'm also pretty baaaaaaad in a fight, you know?"

Star drummed her fingers along base of the Butterfly heirloom. "Pony, we don't _want_ to fight, I just have my wand as a precaution… being bad at fighting isn't going to help here."

"I didn't mean 'bad' as in -" Pony Head paused. "Nevermind. This ain't working, though, we need another approach. Where my scissors at, girl?"

Pressing her lips together, Star did a quick sweep of the each end of her vision for a spot of black. Never, ever in her life had she wanted to see black so badly - even the guards might at least lead her to Marco.

She reached into her bag and pulled out her scissors.

"What are you planning?" Star questioned as Pony Head opened her mouth, and she carefully plopped the magical tool onto her dripping tongue.

"I 'ink a cahd ahd apeakah." Pony Head said before snipping a portal and gesturing for Star to hop in.

"I couldn't understand you… just, um, blink twice if you promise we're not leaving Marco behind?"

The hovering princess rolled her eyes before very deliberately opening and closing her eyes, twice.

Star felt some confidence at the reassurance and shot Pony a determined nod. Wandering aimlessly wasn't getting them anywhere - in fact, it was making them more lost and Star's anxiety was reaching a peak - but this? Whatever Pony Head was thinking was at least _some_ sort of plan.

Setting her jaw, Star marched straight through the shimmering vortex and felt the light wisps of interdimensional winds tousle her hair. The sensation usually was a little unnerving, the direction of the air currents leading to the portal never matching the natural latent atmosphere - it was sort of like a vacuum, pulling pressurized dimension through one plane and out another. Right now, though, Star actually found the experience strangely invigorating. This day could not go on forever, and she had a friend who needed her, who was probably furious with her, who could very well get himself killed _because_ of her.

Now was not the time for trepidation. Now was the time for action.

That being the case, she was admittedly a little disheartened to step out the other side to a rather unenthusiastic sloth employee instead of her Earth-burden-but-also-best-friend. These were the same inane variety of slow employees she she knew to work at Quest Buy.

Frowning, Star turned to spot a flash of pink mane float right past her and essentially interrogate the sloth person.

"Aye," the blue Princess said, spitting her scissors on the ground. The sloth looked at them curiously, face blank and mouth unmoving. "We need to make an announcement, alright, we uh misplaced something, okay?"

"Uhh…" a disinterested voice began. "I don't know… ugh, that's a lot of… extra work."

"Oh for the sake of unicorns," Star threw her hands up. "I don't have time for this. Move!"

She basically pushed the worker right out of his chair, and he stumbled clear to the window. They were in a tiny cuby at the center top of arcade, embedded in the massive crystals that gave the dimension its namesake. The ceilings towered high above the base of the arcade, so while their vantage point gave them unrestricted viewing access to each end of the purple landscape, everything was too far away to make heads-or-tails of.

One hand covering the microphone, she shot a discerning look at a flabbergasted Pony Head. "Okay, what do we do now?"

A beat of silence passed before Pony Head fluttered her lids, expression flickering from surprise, pride, and fierce determination of her own.

"Earth turd is following the guards, who are trying to follow us, right? So we just need to lead the guards to us, and we'll find him."

Furrowing her brow, Star met her gaze. "Bring them to us? Isn't that dangerous?"

"You got a better idea?" Pony Head challenged, and while Star felt a nervous twisting in her stomach, she knew her friend was right.

"No, no, okay. Let's do it."

"Alright," winked Princess Pony Head. "So I'll cut us a portal after you announce where I'm at, since they're after me anyways. I'll be bait, you stay back and ambush 'em if they get too close. You got that wand, about time you use it."

Star chewed her lip. "Okay. Okay, I can do that. And, um, Pony…" The blonde paused, brushing the hair from her face. "Thanks for this. I'm really sorry I ruined your last night of freedom."

To her surprise, the pink-haired princess laughed. "You serious, girl? You snuck out past curfew, you took me to my fav' club, we're running from some crazy guards and we're about to smackdown in a magic fight to save your boyfriend? This is the best night of my freakin' life. What's cooler than watching my best friend turn _baaaad_?"

Her heartmarks pinked, and Star smiled defiantly down at the microphone she covered with a hand. "I guess being bad… can be good, sometimes?"

"Yeahhh, gurl! Now let's get'em."

"And… for the _last time_ , Marco is _not my boyfriend._ "

At that, Pony Head merely rolled her eyes and scooped her scissors from the floor.

" _Suuuure_ , whatever you say."

* * *

A hand halfway through his hair, Marco nearly dropped his second cigarette of the night.

Star's voice, quiet and dignified, rang out for a across the otherwise still open air. Squares and other passersby all looked up, the disembodied voice of a beautiful girl garnering their attention.

"I repeat, Flying Princess Pony Head of the Cloud Kingdom, this is a formal warning. Please leave the _Western district_ of the Amethyst Arcade. Commandeering _Superb Blitz Bros_ is a strict violation of the rules of Fair Play."

Before he could do much else but taste the tobacco at his lips, Marco heard another, much more threatening sound.

" _There! That way!"_

The mechanical command pushed through the crowds, and he heard the terrified squeals of nerds diving out of the way. The lumbering clunks of metal, repeatedly stomping against the hardened ground, was thunder during a midday storm. Sharp, violent, and distinct, Marco could hear them moving closer, than away.

"Damn," He snickered to himself, taking a final long drag before snuffing out his smoke. "Not bad, girls."

Feeling a little less panicked after the nicotine was in his bloodstream, the teen adjusted his jacket and began trailing the sonorous footsteps that reverberated against the games and crystalline structures. While Marco certainly had no way of telling cardinal directions in another dimension, Star had provided a rather convenient compass in the form of angry guards, and the scheme was so obvious it was brilliant. They would find each other if they used the guards as a guide, but there was an inherent amount of risk involved that Marco wasn't sure he was comfortable with.

Pulse picking-up, in part from the sudden pursuit but mostly from unspoken worries, he half-hoped Star stayed safely tucked away wherever the sound system was located. If Pony Head was truly the only one on the Western side of the arcade, then he could deal with the guards, and Pony Head could take him to Star after. The thought of her getting tangled up in the fight was more troubling than it should have been.

Marco managed to stay _just_ the right amount away, catching up enough to see the dark exteriors of the guards metal bodies turn an occasional corner but never near enough that they would spot him. Their forms black and cumbersome, he had no trouble keeping sight of them.

The trip around took a little longer than he might have hoped, though, and by the time their paces slowed and he spotted what must have been the _Superb Blitz Bros._ game station, his lungs were protesting, a quiet beratement not unlike his parent's when they discovered his first stolen pack of cigarettes. He couldn't recall if they had been more disappointed that he stole them or that he made no attempt to deny that they were his.

Ducking behind a large VR-looking set-up, Marco threw up his hood out of habit and massaged his chest painfully, keeping eyes open for blue, pink, or, most importantly, blonde.

"C'mon, c'mon…" He muttered, a little annoyed by how asthmatic his inhales sounded. Maybe it was about time he quit smoking.

Then, all at once, he was bulldozed by mass and a screechy voice in his ear, and the pain in his torso intensified by… probably 110 pounds, he had to guess.

" _MMMMMMMMARCO!_ "

"Jesus, Star!" He laughed despite himself, swept up in relief to see her, to feel her slender arms wrapped around his shoulders, not even bothered by the fact that she had plowed into him and knocked him flat on his back.

"I was worried about you, you… you dumb idiot!" Star babbled as she drew back, extending her arms and resting her hands on his chest.

Marco cleared his throat and his attention moved from her face to her hips. "Thanks a lot, Princess, but… do you, uh, mind?"

He watched the understanding flicker across her face, amused relief turning quickly to horrified embarrassment. In her excitement, Star had pinned him to floor, and Marco was more than a little aware of each of her thighs pressed up against the sides of his jeans. Rather literally, she was straddling his middle with her skirt hiked up a little farther than it should be, and they were in a far too compromising position for her to be breathing that heavily and not earn some salacious whispers.

Marco had to suppress the urge to laugh, though, because her expression was absolutely hilarious. Star was mortified; he, on the other hand, had to fight the very-teenage-boy thoughts on how he didn't mind the image of a pretty girl in his lap one little bit.

Just as Star's cheeks turned from rosy pink to scarlet, then to crimson, and finishing in an impressive shade of ruby, their unintentionally intimate moment was disturbed by shouting.

" _There! There's one of them!_ "

As caught up as they had been, Marco hadn't even realized Star had knocked them out of cover, and now furious black shapes were bowling straight towards them.

"Ah, shit," he said, pushing up against the ground and rolling his weight so he could stand, forcing Star up with him. "Stay back - huh?"

Marco raised a curious brow as he adopted his usual fighting stance, confused by the sight of the guards moving in the other direction. Star, he noticed, was gripping her wand in her hands - so tightly, her knuckles looked white.

"They're going after Flying Princess Pony Head," she informed him with a serious nod, and their orders needed no formal declaration: follow the bad guys, save the Princess.

"Let's go," Marco took off in the direction of the shouting, hearing a threatening whinnying pick-up as they got closer. He was careful to stay at least a step ahead of Star, in case it was a trap.

"Umm, so like listen," Pony Head was backing away into a wall, rambling on in her… special way. "Like, I don't have to go to St. O's until morning in my dimension, so like, why don't ya'll step off okay?"

Laser-focused, Marco and Star cleared the distance between themselves and Pony Head easily. "Ayye, there's Earth Turd!"

"Miss me, _PH_?" Marco stepped in front of her, and out of his periphery he felt Star do the same. Chancing a glance at the typically timid girl he knew, Marco was a bit awe-struck when he saw her expression now. Fiery cheeks and fierce blue eyes, Star met the gazes of the guards with impressive poise and confidence. Her wand was outstretched, hand steady, but Marco wondered if she would have the will to use it against authorities.

"I feel like I might be a bad influence," Marco mused aloud, and Pony Head openly laughed behind him. He leaned back slightly and breathed a few more words. " _Someone give me the scissors_."

The guards, or what was left of them, exchanged haggard scowls. The leader took a step forward. "Enough! Come with us now, or you'll be sorry."

A half-gloved hand came to his chin, and in his other he felt the plop of cold metal brush his fingers. "Hmm. I don't think I've ever been sorry for something in my whole life. Why start now?"

The taunting must have been too much, because the largest of the trio barreled forward with hands raised. Star opened her mouth, presumably with a spell at her tongue, but Marco was already ahead of her.

"Snip-snip," he said in teasing as he dug a quick portal into the earth, catching the guard as he ran at them. The guard's shout was swept up in the swirling, shimmering light, snuffed out almost as quickly as the sound left his lips.

In a fluid movement, Marco slid back, the portal dividing what had become an unintended battlefield.

"Hey, Star?" He hummed. "You ever played Skii Ball?"

"I think we call it Corn Ball on Mewni," she replied, and with an impressive amount of grace she leapt, airborne, and had a spell ready. "Glitter Whale - "

She fumbled midair when a huge booming voice interrupted them, so loud it made the ground shake. Indeed, Marco was pretty sure his brain rattled around inside his head a bit.

"Time to give it up, cupcake."

A monstrous, cobalt blue horsehead appeared around the corner, eyeing the lot of them with baronistic disdain; Marco knew that sneer anywhere.

 _Rich people_.

" _Daaaaaaddy_ ," he heard Pony Head cry, floating over to what must be her father. The man - horse - _unicorn_? The… the _guy_ was ludicrously large, though, at least the height and length of the Diaz living room.

The two remaining robonoids froze, watching the scene with severity, and Marco and Star exchanged a glance.

"Umm… warm greetings, King Pony Head," the blonde said in an even tone, curtseying low as a show of respect. Marco yelped in a very-unmanly-way when Star nudged him in the ribs, and he rolled his eyes. A half-hearted bow was the best she was going to get out of him.

A particularly whiny voice repeated itself.

" _Daaaaady_ ," Pony Head said, nuzzling into the mane of her father. "Why you gotta do this to me? I'm too pretty for the slammer."

Marco opened his mouth to comment, but the look Star flashed at him told him was rather concise: _don't you dare_.

"It's reform school, cupcake," the man replied, almost lazily. "Not jail."

"...Although," King Pony Head looked at the ceiling thoughtfully. "It is, admittedly, a lot like jail."

Marco's lip curled. " _Royal_ jail is probably some…"

" _MarcoDiazYouStopRightNow!_ " Star hissed at his rebuttal, and when they met eyes he was surprised to see how fearful she looked. Her continued freedom, and their friendship, was riding on their ability to get Star home without getting in trouble, so Marco begrudgingly closed his mouth.

The pair slowly rescended away from the Princess, King, and the guards who moved in much more gently, listening as the pink-haired unicorn took her reprimanding with stride and accepted the unbecoming muzzle they forced over her mouth.

At one point in their resigned conversation, King Pony Head and his daughter's eyes flickered towards Star, who was quiet and studying her shoes. Marco kept his scowling to a minimum for her sake, but he did shoot her a whisper.

"I can't believe you did all this for a friend."

Blue-eyes narrowed, but did not look up.

"I would do _anything_ for my friends."

" _B-Fly_ ," cooed a voice, causing them both to flinch upwards. Pony Head came barreling into Star's midsection, and the latter offered a hesitant hug.

"Is it going to be okay, Flying Princess Pony Head?" Star questioned, voice sympathetic.

Pink and blonde hairs untangled as they pulled apart.

"Ehhhh, I like, guess so. Not going to say I'm like happy or whatever, but you know," her attention moved to Marco momentarily. "But like I'm happy for you and junk."

"Aww, Pony Head," Star sighed, covering her heart with both hands. It took every ounce of Marco's self-control not to snort derisively. "And did… um, did your Dad say anything about telling my parents?"

"Nah," the princess whinnied, and both blonde and brunette sighed in unison. "He doesn't really keep up with curfews and stuff like that, he thinks ya'll's here on Earth time. Speaking of which..."

A hot breath of air tickled Marco's nose when Pony Head huffed in his direction. "And like, listen Earth turd… My bestie is _waaaaaaaay_ too good for you, but like, it wasn't bad how you, uh, went running after her or whatever. Like I don't know if I can say it -" she paused, brow knitting together. "But like you alright. There I said it."

Smirking, Marco looked up and away. "Great. PH Stamp of Approval, now I can sleep easy at night."

" _Aww_ , see, you guys can be besties too!" Star cheered, but Pony Head and Marco's expressions suggested otherwise.

The girls hugged once again and Pony Head was lead to a swirling, more-menacing portal than the others.

Marco pursed his lips as she floated away, and decided to take a step forward.

"Word to the wise, by the way."

Pony Head turned, a brow quirked high along her face.

"In jail, it's shank or be shanked so… you know, use _that_ ," he pointed to his forehead, gesturing to the Princess's horn. "To your advantage."

With a fleeting smile, the aquamarine horse head turned away. "Mmm, cool cool, byeeeee."

Marco folded his hands together and closed his eyes, taking in a slow, deep inhale as the final clatter of guards and unicorns proceeded into their respective dimensional portals. The act was as much as a meditative gesture as it was something to distract himself from blowing up on Star for letting all of this happen; he wanted to blame her or be angry, to berate her for all the reasons running away earlier had been stupid. He really did.

But when he dropped the stance and their eyes met, his will withered away.

The best Marco could manage was exasperation.

"Can we _please_ ," he emphasized the word. "Go home now?"

The blonde tucked a piece of strand behind her ear, brushing one of the ribbons from her forehead. She looked unusually disheveled, but positively radiant.

"What about that game you promised me? Or are you too afraid I'll kick your butt?" Blonde eyebrows raised high, she was clearly challenging him.

God, he _hated_ how charming that was.

Scrunching his nose, Marco sighed and extended his arm, offering for her to link hers underneath. " _Fine_. Someone has to destroy that awful royal ego of yours."

"Heh," she giggled, soft and melodic like a lullaby. "In your dreams, Diaz."


	14. (EP 3) Star Butterfly: Diplomat

The sound was coming again, the gritty, repetitive, teeth-gnashing sound…

Squeaky.

It was tolerable during the earlier hours of the day, but by - squeaky - the time Psychology passed in the early afternoon - squeaky - it was too much. There was only so much a guy could stand before wanting to rip his hair out - squeaky

"Star," Marco hissed. "Stop!"

Blonde hair dancing, she looked his way with wide blue eyes. Even if she didn't understand what he meant, Star mercifully stopped bouncing in her chair.

Too loudly, she asked, "What?"

"Ms. Butterfly," their teacher snapped at her, and both teens flinched. "That's enough. One more word and you can finished your conversation with Diaz in detention."

Star, clearly confused, began to open her mouth, but Marco cut her off.

He looked to his left pointedly, and through grit teeth, answered on her behalf. "Our bad, Skullzy. Please, continue with this fascinating lesson."

The burlish woman practically growled at his sarcasm, and Marco could only roll his eyes, biting back the taunts that rumbled in his throat - some sort of comparison to an untamed beast seemed a fitting metaphor, but now was not the time.

Staring each other down, good ol' Skullzy seemed fatigued by his antics and snapped her chalk in half. One piece fell to the floor and the other she managed to hold, and lip curled, she crushed the fallen dust beneath her heel while turning back to the board.

Out of his periphery, Marco could feel Star's eyes on him. Probably too wide, too innocent, too sensitive, too pretty; meeting that gaze might make him forget his own fucking name, so he ignored her and took out his cell phone instead.

The remainder of the class passed with much the same sort of heavy silence, broken only by an occasional sniffle from a student, the scribbling of graphite against paper, and a few airy sighes to his left. It was rather obvious that Star was trying to get his attention, but Marco wasn't in the mood to indulge and risk getting the both of them into more trouble - like Skullzy suggested, she was one mark away from getting detention herself, and he felt annoyingly guilty about it.

If she'd been matched with just about anyone else, bet she'd be 100% clean, the brunette thought with latent irritation.

At least Star's grades had not been brought down by his association - damn girl was smarter than an average bear, certainly. That being said, Marco couldn't help but wonder if her quick wit and impressive academic performance was a reflection of her as a Mewman, a Princess, or just as a Star thing. She was the only one he had met that satisfied the former two categories, and she was definitely in a category of her own with the latter.

The bell roused him from his mild daydreams, and Star was at his ear before he could so much gather his things.

"Marco!" She whispered, which made it difficult to hear over the din of students moving to their next class. "I am so sorry! I hope I didn't get you in more trouble."

He snorted derisively, standing and reclaiming some personal space. "Yeah Princess, you're the real troublemaker."

Bristled, she grimaced and crossed her arms. "I-I was just trying to be nice and apologize!"

"That was your first mistake," he answered with a shrug. As if on cue, her flicker of annoyance vanished with a beaming smile, and Marco couldn't do much but return it.

"Let me make it up to you?" She suggested, tapping her chin.

Starting towards the door, Marco's patience grew thinner by a hair. "I just said you didn't even have to - "

"Excuse me, Ms. Skullnik?" Star inquired, the three of them the only ones left in the classroom.

A little harsher than Marco thought to be necessary, she looked up from her desk. "What is it, Ms. Butterfly?"

"I was wondering, um, why are you always so hard on Marco? Is there anything I can do?"

Marco facepalmed.

"Star, really, we can just - "

"Ms. Butterfly," Skullzy interrupted, narrowing her eyes at him. "I could ask you the same thing. Why are you so nice to Mr. Diaz? He's a bit…" She raised a hand in his direction, and both women looked to him.

Skin slightly flushed by the unexpected attention, he buried his hands in the pockets of his jacket. "Wow, thanks, Skullzy. You really know how to foster a supportive learning environment."

"That," she nodded to Star, all but ignoring him. It did little to help temper his mood. "Is why I have a short leash with him. He doesn't respect me."

"Maybe there's a reason for that." Marco suggested, raising a brow, and he could see the woman's features grow irate. Lips thinned, forehead creased, teeth bared - he thought she rather looked like a morbidly overweight jackal.

Sighing, he walked up to the desk and placed a hand on Star's forearm. Her eyes had been flickering between the pair with a mixture of curiosity and something reminiscent of fear.

"Just, c'mon Star, forget about it," he suggested, but the Princess did not move. She set her jaw and turned back to the teacher.

"I think you two could get along if you tried more. Why don't we have a diplomatic meeting? I'd be glad to delegate."

Skullnik pursed her lips and stood from the desk, eyeing the pair of them. "Thank you, Ms. Butterfly, but that's not how we do things on early. Even with your help, you can't magick Mr. Diaz into being less of a brat."

Head rolling back on his shoulders, Marco felt his anger growing, and he considered commenting or just dragging Star away. This conversation had gone way off the tracks, and it was probably about time to bail. They'd both definitely be late for their next class, at this rate.

Needless to say, he was surprised when Star jumped to his defense. "Marco isn't a bad person. He has lots of friends. I just feel like you could bothbe a little nicer, and a lot of your problems would go away. Is that so hard?"

"Sure, Star, whatever - can we please just go now?" He exerted a bit of pressure through his fingers, hand still rested on her forearm, and she glowered at him.

Stubborn girl.

"Fine, we can go. But this conversation isn't over!" She pointed a finger between the both of them, and Skullzy just rolled her eyes and slid back into the chair at her desk.

That struck a nerve.

"Jesus christ, Skullzy, Star is just trying to help. Don't act so dismissive. Get over yourself, why don't you?"

The woman leapt up, positively fuming, and Star backed up into Marco with a startled squeak.

"Marco Diaz! You are to - "

Before he had the chance to talk the woman down, Star reacted. Quicker than a whip, her hand was in her purse and the wand was in her hand.

"H-hypercheer Droll Reflex!"

With a burst of pink light, glittering under the fluorescent lights, a cloud of dust erupted between the pair and the teacher, and Marco began coughing with rasping inhales as the smoke settled. It was like the burden of smoking with none of the release, and he hacked heavily while Star merely tittered beside him.

"Whoa, Star," he managed, covering his mouth and nose with a hand to help himself to better breathe. "What did you do?"

He found her face in the last of the rosy miasma, and she looked positively frightened. Following her gaze, his jaw went slack when he spotted Skullzy, hunched over her desk, at least triple her size, body turned leathery and sickly green. Her already-bad underbite was exaggerated by a massive, jutting jawline that showed a pair of spiked teeth, and her clothes were stretched taut across her nauseating form.

"I-I-I… I might have said… troll instead of… droll?"

A large part of him wanted to be furious - indeed, he already was furious - but the knee-jerk reaction that burst from his lips was laughter. She seemed so disturbed by her own actions that the pitchy tone to her voice was downright hysterical, especially juxtaposed with the unbelievable turn of events.

"Okay, that's rich, just turn her back. Thanks for trying to defend me," he added, feeling his face warm a little. Probably the coughing and waves of laughter, he figured.

"... Um." Star lowered her head, clutching the wand to her chest.

His eyes narrowed. "Star…"

The ribbons along, usually bright and poppy, drooped over her face.

"Tell me you can change her back."

"Welllllllll," she started, the top of her wand pushing against her lower lip anxiously. "I don't know, I really don't like to lie… so…"


	15. Let's Worry About You

Gnawing on her wand was a habit Star's mother had told her to break. The Queen of Mewni had said that it was… _undignified_ behavior for a princess.

Star knew that, of course - that's sort of why she did it.

To her, it felt like an excuse to slow down and be a little irresponsible without repercussions - her wand kept her safe, and her anxieties kept her mind busy. Chewing on the wand instead of her fingernails or her lips seemed like a less physically-harmful alternative, and it was a self-contained habit that she could stop at anytime if she wanted.

That being the case, she was positively gnashing her teeth against the hardened exterior of the Butterfly heirloom as she watched the door to her bedroom close, transfixed by the sight of Marco sighing at his cellphone. He gripped it to his chest momentarily with his eyes closed, and the beady green eyes of a dinosaur in a birthday hat starred back at her.

"Okay, so we have four hours until my parents will be home," the brunette began, shooting a glance over his shoulder to a mercifully unconscious Ms. Skullnik. "We can sort this out before then, wipe her memory, and pretend like this never happened."

"I don't - " Star began, but Marco was already pacing and muttering to himself. His usual scowl was positively frightening when he would glance up towards Ms. Skullnik.

"You said you don't know how to turn her back… how did you learn that shitty spell in the first place?" Marco rounded on her, and the blonde flinched. He mumbled a quick, "sorry," but his glare did not falter.

The wand at her lips lowered slowly. "It was a spell supposed to, um, I guess 'mellow' her out? It's _hypercheer droll reflex_ , meaning it should take someone who's droll and make them cheery, or take someone who's too excitable and make them calm down."

To her surprise, a look of understanding flashed across Marco's face.

To her even _greater_ surprise, he then started laughing.

"S-sorry," he said for the second time, a hand on his knee and the other clutching his ribs. Truth be told, Star thought he sounded a little hysterical. Not the good kind, either.

"I just - this is so damn weird. I can't - I mean, I _know_ you're magic but it's real weird to like, see it, you know? We have antidepressants and shit here for people who are like that. Well, I think they take antidepressants?" He tapped his chin, and Star blinked, confused. "You basically just described a spell for manic-depressive people."

"Marco! This is serious!" Star snapped, and he sobered instantly. "I-I could lose my wand for this! I could be sent to St. O's. Oh, oh _pegasus feathers_. This is such a serious violation of magical laws, and I just… I just wanted to help. Why wouldn't she just let me help?!"

Hopping off the bed, the blonde willed herself to turn her admonishment to anger and determination rather than tears. She marched across the room and stood a few feet from Ms. Skullnik, chest heaving.

A muted pair of sneakers strolled across her spotless floors, stopping a few paces behind her. Star didn't turn around. Instead, she spoke to her charge.

" _Why_ , Ms. Skullnik? Why are you so mean to Marco? I didn't want this…" she hung her head, looking at the slightly-drool-stained face of her wand, the crystal star of her namesake reflecting back at her. At least the spell hadn't rebounded...

After their teacher had taken one look at her reflection, she staggered backwards into a desk and toppled backwards. The _thwack_ of ogrish, thick skin against hard linoleum floors was disturbing enough, but the girl couldn't shake the horrible gritting sound of the woman's ghoulish canines scraping together when the weight of her body pushed into her jaw. Just thinking about it was making Star's stomach roil with nausea.

"Hey, Princess, _relax_." Marco instructed, stepping beside her with both hands buried in his pockets. A brown pair of eyes glanced sidelong in her direction, and she barely managed to hold his gaze. "I've done way worse shit than this and I've gotten in a lot less trouble than you're talking about. No one saw anything at school. Just me and you. We'll fix this, okay?"

Unbidden curiosity overtook her guilt momentarily. She raised both brows, looking between the heap haphazardly propped up against one of her dressers and the boy beside her, who was wearing a positively devilish grin.

"How could you _possibly_ have done worse than this?"

He responded by pulling out his lighter and flicking the top, a cigarette materializing in his other hand. "There's a lot you don't know about me. I'm not exactly the town's _golden boy_ or something."

"Please, can you not smoke in my bedroom, at least?" She complained, already tasting the bitterness of burnt paper in the air. It wasn't a pleasant smell by any means, though she had frustratingly begun to find it somehow… comforting? No, that wasn't exactly it. More like… like dipping her toes in a tub of cold bathwater, there was something strangely thrilling and familiar about it.

Obviously, it was an extension of Marco. He had quickly become one of her very best friends; that must be why. She wished it didn't come at the expense of years of his life, though.

Exhaling, the boy in question let out a slow, gray exhale before he responded. "I will smoke wherever I want, thanks. Skullzy could wake up any minute, shouldn't we, uh, try to do something?"

With no small amount of disdain, Star turned back to their teacher. "Yes. Yes, you're right. I just don't know… I can't ask Mother. She would be furious."

Tapping one of her ballet flats, Star absently began to twirl one of the ribbons that cascaded down her back with a lock of her hair. There wasn't anyone else she could really ask for help - Glossaryck was a _definite_ no, as he might tell Mother. (And, probably, make fun of her to no end). Marco didn't know the first thing about spells, Pony Head was locked up in St. O's…

A new and surprisingly mellow voice interrupted her thoughts. "Sup."

If Marco hadn't been rocked by a fit of coughing, clearly just as surprised as she was, Star might have thought he had been trying to do some sort of weird impression. Instead, however, they both snapped their attention to the window beside her balcony, in which a bored-looking girl sat.

Star was thrilled, all but forgetting about her predicament for a few moments. " _Janna_?"

"The one and only," the girl replied with a smirk, fixing her cap. She nodded in the direction of the unsightly, impossible-to-overlook orc woman propped unceremoniously in the corner. "Geez, I knew you hated Skullzy, but man, Marco - _this_ seems a little harsh."

The boy huffed tendrils of smoke through his nostrils, and Star did not find his tone very encouraging. "Hey, Janna. why don't you, uh, I don't know, fuck off?"

"Well, if you insist, though I would have thought you'd at least want your wallet back," she shot Star a wink, who couldn't help but giggle slightly at Marco's reaction. His hands explored every crevice and pocket on his person, only to come up empty-handed.

"Whatever," he muttered and turned away, putting that gross tobacco stick to his mouth again.

Wearing a sad smile, Star averted Janna's gaze as the girl hopped fully into the room. "Please don't tell anyone about this."

"Aw," the dark-haired girl sighed, sounding amused. "If you're sure. Everyone would think it was really hilarious, but, this is your biz. Speaking of which… what _happened_?"

"Well, Marco and I were about to -"

"Why are you here, Janna?" Marco cut in. He had drifted to the opposite wall and was eyeing her distrustfully, and as if to exacerabte the issue, Janna swung an arm over Star's shoulder.

The camaraderie wasn't exactly unwelcome, but Star still had not grown used to people on Earth's inability to respect personal space. Frankly, it made her more nervous than it did comforted, but she appreciated the gesture nonetheless.

"I just wanted to see my friend here. Lighten up for five minutes, dude."

Star chuckled uncomfortably and jumped in before Marco could respond again.

"A-an-anyways! We were about to leave class, and Ms. Skullnik made a mean comment about Marco, and Marco, um…"

"Acted like a dick," he offered helpfully, but Star couldn't bare the crude comparison. She blushed and shook her head.

"H-he got defensive. L-long stor-ry short… I just, um, j-just wanted her to calm down, you know? I u-used a spell and it d-didn't work _exactly_ right."

By the time Star finished, Janna had released her hold on her and the blonde felt her lungs gasp in relief. The girl strode towards Ms. Skullnik on the floor, bending at the waist to better appraise her, and Star began to nibble at the corner of her wand again.

"Huh. So instead of making her chill, you turned her into… a… whatever this is."

Neither Marco nor Star made to confirm her conclusion, as if it were necessary anyways. It's not as if their teacher had entered fifth period that day with scaly green skin, claws, a gemstone in her stomach or a massive underbite protruding from her face. The spell's consequences were as clear as the horrible smell of Marco's smoking, now mixed with the general terrible hygiene of ogres.

Janna stood upright and shrugged, spinning on the spot. "Welp. That sucks."

"Thanks. So glad you broke in," Marco muttered darkly, but the girl was all smiles.

"So, you guys gonna fix her?" Janna quizzed, hands on her hips. "I think she almost looks better like this. It's not like her love life could get much _worse_."

Scowling, Star pointed her chin slightly. "That's not very nice, Janna! Ms. Skullnik might be… a little mean… but she's still a person."

"No, no. I wasn't being insulting for no reason. I'm not an asshole." She paused, glancing pointedly over her shoulder towards a certain sulking figure who happened to be putting out his cigarette. "That's _why_ she's mean, Star. You haven't been around long enough to know, but Skullzy's kinda got a reputation for being, ah… unfortunate in the _love_ department. Her husband left when we were still in elementary school, and word is she just gets worse every year. It's been a long time since anyone dated her and, to be honest, I half believe that's why she's such a bit- such a _bitter_ person."

Blue-eyes wide, Star listened as a swell of pity formed in her abdomen. No wonder the woman was in such a foul mood all the time. Sure, that didn't justify her being mean specifically to her best friend, but then, it's not like Ms. Skullnik was the only human or Mewman who had ever misdirected their anger before. It was just something that happened…

Marco walked towards the pair of girls, stopping between them and looking down at Ms. Skullnik. He ran a hair through his hair, clearly frustrated, and turned towards Janna.

"Seriously, Janna, can you not spread the word on this? I don't want Star to get into trouble."

The girl raised a brow and took a moment to respond. "Well, duh, I don't want her to get into trouble either. Honestly dude, I'm more worried about _you_. Star's got a clean slate. If you don't get this sorted, you'll probably get expelled."

She reached into her pocket and tossed his wallet onto Star's desk, adjacent to them. The young royal felt a tremor of fear creep up her spine and looked desperately towards the two humans.

"W-wait, why would - why would _Marco_ get blamed for this? It was entirely my fault. Really!"

Janna merely shrugged and offered Star a sympathetic smile, moving back towards the window from whence she came.

"What's more likely… A sweet princess cast a horrible spell onto an unsuspecting teacher? Or a known troublemaker, who openly snarked at Skullyz in the middle of class, did something? Doesn't matter if it's magic, Star. I don't know what things are like on Mewni, but on Earth, people just use the narrative that's most convenient." She paused, halfway out the window. "And, rumor has it your parents paid like, a _crazy_ amount of money to the school. They'll want to keep it, and jump at the chance to get rid of Diaz here."

Stunned, Star mouthed like a fish seeking water - her gills were exposed, hurting, crying for something to relieve her. No air - no water - just panic. Panic. That wasn't right. That wasn't _fair_.

The girl gave a two-fingered salute before leaping from the house. Star had half a mind to wonder how she managed to climb to the second story in the first place, but then, she didn't know the extent of human acrobatics. Marco wasn't exactly a model of human fitness, she had learned.

Coincidentally, he coughed a few times and scratched his neck, looking out the window after their friend.

"Janna's a weird one. I gotta get bars for these windows."

"Marco?" Star called, unable to keep the tremble of anxiety from her voice. He turned, a brow raised.

"Uh, yeah?"

"W-was Janna… was she serious? You won't get expelled because of me, right?"

"Ahh…" The boy answered, rubbing his forehead. He cleared the length of the room and stood beside her, keeping his eyes on Ms. Skullnik's unconscious form.

"I mean, I don't _know_ that for sure, but I wouldn't put it past the school. But don't think about that - we'll just fix it and then there won't be any chance of that happening, alright?"

Star began teething her wand again, shaking her head side-to-side. She removed her mouth long enough to comment.

"That doesn't make any _sense_. That was the whole point of trying to be diplomatic! If Ms. Skullnik just listened to what I had to say…"

"Princess, _stop_." Marco pursed his lips, something flashing in his dark eyes. "Seriously. I know you were just trying to help, but making a big fuckin' deal of it now won't help. But hey, learning moments, right? Don't trust a single word anybody on Earth says. Mewni sounds great if you can talk everything out, but you're not on Mewni. This is Earth, and everything is fucked up, and, god, I need another cigarette."

He quickly brought another one out and stepped towards his balcony, looking uncharacteristically apologetic.

"Don't worry so much about me. Let's worry about you and this mess with Skullz here, then we can worry about me. Okay?"

She didn't want to be okay with it. It _wasn't_ okay. Star knew that. She hadn't been raised to be selfish. But Marco made it sound so _easy_. He was so confident that things would be alright, and Star just wanted to believe him.

Wearily, the girl smiled and nodded in his direction. "Okay. But let's worry about you, too."

Marco blew a plume of smoke over the edge of the balcony and smirked, shaking his head. "Whatever."

"That's your favorite word, isn't it?" Star teased, feeling a bit better after seeing him smile. She drifted after him, into the warming rays of sunshine from the early afternoon sun. " _Whatever_ this, _whatever_ that."

"Maybe. It probably used to be." Marco tilted his head to one side, looking almost bemused. Star inhaled sharply when one of his fingers brushed the bangs from her eyes, leaving a trail of heat where his hand ghosted over her cheekbones. It was a thousand times warmer than the sunlight had been, but oddly, Star shivered like an icy chill and kissed her brow. "I think my new favorite word is _Princess_ , though. Mostly cause you get this really pissed off look on your face everytime."

Star hardly heard him, her heart positively thundering in her ears. What was _wrong_ with her? It was the touching - that had to be it. Surely, it had been the same when Janna threw an arm over her shoulder, right? The electricity, the shock of awareness, the clamminess of her palms. Or - or when she hugged Flying Princess Pony Head. Or had to dance with Prince Lucitor at the Silver Bell Ball every year.

Yes. Totally normal, 'I-don't-like-to-be-touched' reactions. That was it.


End file.
